25 Mar Port Approves BlueChart Homes Land Sales at Vista Field
KENNEWICK, Wash. – Nearly 300 single-family homes are coming to the port’s 103-acre Vista Field site.
During today’s regular Commission meeting, Port of Kennewick’s Board of Commissioners sold four parcels to BlueChart Homes and agreed to the company’s contract documents and development schedule. The agreement allows BlueChart Homes to develop residential neighborhoods in attached, detached, row houses and townhouses as envisioned in the Vista Field Master Plan.
The agreement calls for BlueChart to follow the development schedule, which begins with constructing the first 32 homes just west of the port’s initial development area, followed by a series of land sales that will establish additional home construction throughout eight phases.
This is the largest and likely most significant land deal completed by Port of Kennewick in its 110-year history.
“BlueChart Homes has the funding and experience to build at scale while implementing the community’s vision for Vista Field,” said Tim Arntzen, port CEO. “Their focus on residential will activate public spaces and create patrons to attract and support additional commercial and retail development at Vista Field.”
BlueChart Homes is a joint venture led by experienced developers Levi Holmes and Benjamin Paulus. The developers formed BlueChart Homes to leverage their strengths and help populate Vista Field. Holmes and Paulus have been following national interest in and demand for walkable, bikeable, transit-served, pedestrian-scale development.
“With the port having already invested in the streets, linear park, waterway and public plazas, we set the stage to create an urban center for the region,” said Amber Hanchette, port director of real estate. “Vista Field’s smaller lots will also build affordability into housing. And the density of development surrounded by open public gathering spaces will foster an immediate sense of place and neighborhood, which was how historic downtowns traditionally formed.”
Arntzen added, “Vista Field may not appeal to everyone. However, it will be the right fit for those who eagerly participated in the master planning process, people who don’t want a huge yard to maintain and those who want a convenient way to live, work and play in the same space. Vista Field will also appeal to those who prefer to walk or bike to entertainment, medical, services, shopping or dining.”
With opportunities to meet and mingle with neighbors, beautiful, walkable spaces and unique gathering places, Vista Field is destined to become a truly regional town center. Learn more at VistaField.com.
About Vista Field
Port of Kennewick’s Vista Field development will blend mixed-use neighborhoods with urban lifestyle amenities. The port is following a community-driven master plan to sell lots for private-sector investment to transform the site into a vibrant, regional town center. At full build-out of the 103 acres, Vista Field is expected to generate over $500 million in private-sector investment with more than 1,000 residential units and 740,000 square feet of commercial space.
About BlueChart Homes
Levi Holmes and Benjamin Paulus founded BlueChart Homes to focus on New Urbanism and traditional neighborhood design. Holmes, principal of Chartwell Land Company in Silverdale, has designed, entitled and/or built over 2,000 residential units, with extensive experience entitling projects for production home builders. Paulus, principal of Blue Fern and Teak Construction in Redmond, is a third-generation homebuilder with more than 17-years-experience building a mix of residential for sale, including infill townhomes and Built Green Four-Star homes, plat development and multi-family projects.
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Port of Kennewick is an economic development entity focused on developing assets to create sustainable family-wage jobs,
build infrastructure and user-friendly transportation systems, and enhance the quality of life within the port district.
