Updated on February 2, 2026 with more information about the current owner of 1200 Jadwin.
Richland city councilmembers indicated at their meeting on January 20 that their first-choice location for a new $45 million police station is the old Fluor building at 1200 Jadwin Ave., known locally as the “concrete block.” It might be the cheapest option for the city although the original developers, paid less than a million dollars for the building and land about six years ago and appear to have sold it at the end of 2024 for $3,500,000.
The price tag for the building, $7,945,000, didn’t scare away councilmembers who seemed excited about transforming the long-time empty building into a police station. It didn’t hurt that Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl told them that it might be cheaper than the other two options, a new build on a city-owned property in the Queensgate area or a new building with a parking garage at the former city hall site on George Washington Way. Plus, he added that the Jadwin building had room for growth and space for other city offices.
All the councilmembers support the idea
“What an awesome idea,” Councilmember Shayne VanDyke said about the proposed use of 1200 Jadwin. He was not alone in his enthusiasm. All the councilmembers supported pursuing the possibilities there.
Councilmember Ryan Whitten noted that in 2000 the current police station cost $2.5 million. “We need to spend the money on something with a little room for expansion,” he said noting that he couldn’t imagine what another police station would cost 20 years from now.
“It would be good to have too much space,” Councilmember Kurt Maier said.
Councilmember Jhoanna Jones said she was happy that there was funding in the budget for the new station because she doubted that citizens would vote in favor of new taxes.
“We can use the city center site for something else,” Pat Holten added, describing the plan for a mixed use development on the site of the old city hall.
Council discussion about a new police station began in 2022.
On June 28, 2022, Richland Police Chief Brigit Clary and Police Commander Daryl Judge reminded the council during a workshop meeting, that the city had grown to include Horn Rapids and Badger Mt. South in the 20 plus years since the current police station was built. As a result, the two told the council, with the additional officers and support staff, the station had become very crowded.
The US Census Bureau reported that the city had a population of 38,708 in 2000. The bureau’s estimate for July 1, 2024, was 64,372.
The department had 62 officers and six openings in 2022. At that time Clary and Judge estimated that the police department would need more officers in 2027 to keep the ratio of one officer per 1,000 residents. They said they viewed that ratio as a minimum because in the past the ratio had been as high as three or four officers per 1,000 residents.
The police department currently reports 73 officers.
The council considered three options then. Two of them were remodels of the existing building and the third was a new building on the old Richland city hall site.
Councilmembers Theresa Richardson and Terry Christensen both indicated their concern that a police station surrounded by razor wire wasn’t the look they wanted for the center of downtown Richland. They noted that a mixed use development had been the preference for the city hall site.
The possibility of using an existing empty building was also discussed at that meeting.
History of the Jadwin property
Developers David Lippes and John Crook of Boost Builds, LLC purchased the two Fluor buildings, one at 1100 Jadwin and the other at 1200 Jadwin for about $1 million in 2019. The buildings had been on the market for years with the values gradually going down. In 2002 the 1100 building had been listed for sale for $16,250,000.
Not long after Boost bought the buildings, they convinced the city of Richland to sell about 7 of the 10 acres of leased land under and around them for about $800,000, explaining that one would become an office and the other one a 137-unit apartment building.
Developers improved 1100 Jadwin for offices and, in about 2021, put 1200 Jadwin on the market for $6,414,750.
Benton County Property records show that on November 23, 2024, B2 1200 Jadwin LLC transferred the property to 1200 Jadwin LLC for $3,500,000. The Washington Secretary of State’s website for corporation filings list Corey Bitton as the “Governor.”
The Observer reached out to Richland City Manager Jon Amundson for more information about the current owner. He responded, “It is my understanding that Corey Bitton is the sole owner, but I don’t know that with 100% guarantee. I do know the $3,500,000 represents the purchase price for the entire property last time it was sold. Something we would factor in, should we ultimately decide to make an offer.”
Paying for a new police station
According to Schiessl, to pay for the new $45 million police station, the city could use $10 million from the cash reserves, money made available elsewhere in the city budget when a new tax covered road maintenance, twenty million more from speculative sources such as the sale of the old city hall site or the land under option now with AtlasAgro for a data center and a fertilizer plant in the city’s industrial area. He also mentioned continuing the library payment due to end soon in the city real estate taxes to cover the police station.
Better act quickly
Schiessl told the council that they’d better act quickly to present an option to the seller or another buyer might buy the property. He told the council that more studies would have to be completed to determine whether the property was suitable for a police station
No decision has been made.
No decision has been made while the city explores its options.
The county is bringing in money hand over fist with their public safety sales tax. This certainly seems like a perfect opportunity to invest some of that money in an actual public safety issue.
Hi Tim, I appreciate your comment. The public safety sales tax revenue was never mentioned as a potential funding source. Seems like something to ask them about. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy.
I heard the building had settling issues.
Hi Vince, I appreciate your comment. I’m not sure which building you’re referring to — the current police station or the building on Jadwin?? If it’s the Jadwin one, Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl said that the city would investigate the building for those kinds of issues as well as suitability as a police station before any decision was made to purchase it. He also mentioned negotiating the price. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy
The 3.5 million sale between 2 LLC’s with basically the same name? Did the LL’s have the same owners? Sounds like a Trump special.
Hi C., I appreciate your comment. I agree that while the governor of 1200 Jadwin LLC is listed as Corey Britton, there is no way of knowing who may have shares in the LLC. Also it would be interesting to know who knew what when. No doubt the city has been nosing around this property for some time. After all these months on the market, why did it all of a sudden sell for half the $7 million asking price??? Questions, questions. Thank you for reading the Observer.