Approximate location of the 60-ft. easement the city of Richland gave away

The 60-ft. easement that the Richland City Council voted to give away at their March 1 meeting will be used, along with adjacent property, to build a “very high-end condo” next to the Hampton Inn, according to a report today in the Tri-City Herald.

Only Councilmember Jhoanna Jones voted no to the giveaway. The easement connected Bradley Boulevard to the riverfront trail. In information provided to the public on March 1, the easement was described as being for public access and utilities.

Project Manager Steve Hudson described the 26 to 30 condos in a five-story, 31,400 square-foot building as being very high end.

The developer, Cedar and Sage Homes, will also build 144 high-end apartments on the five acres across the street from the condos between Bradley Blvd. and George Washington Way. The developer will create a new pedestrian path to the river, according to the report.

Without the pedestrian path, apartment dwellers would have to access the river at Howard Amon Park. The city-owned, riverfront property south of the Riverfront Hotel on Bradley was recently rezoned from parkland to commercial development putting the public access there in jeopardy.