Meier moving to Historic Downtown Kennewick
Meier Architecture • Engineering will move its offices in 2016 from bustling Gage Boulevard to the relative quiet of Kennewick Avenue.
The Kennewick firm has bought the Kennewick Irrigation District’s 16,000-sq.-ft. administrative building in Historic Downtown Kennewick.
KID plans to consolidate its operations and administrative staffs in a new building at the current operating site on Ely Street.
In a press release announcing the sale, Charles Freeman, KID district manager, said the decision to sell and build a new office was a tough one for the board to make because the administrative office has been in downtown Kennewick for decades.
But the historic brick building at 12 W. Kennewick Ave. isn’t large enough to house the KID’s 57 employees. Also, having the district’s staff separated by several miles presented challenges in communication between KID employees and their ability to provide timely information to customers.
Freeman said building a new, larger building “just makes better sense and will be the most effective use of our operating budget in the long term.”
Meier employs more than 50 professionals.
Freeman said Meier would bring more than 50 professional employees to the downtown Kennewick area.
“KID believes Meier will be an asset to the revitalization efforts being made by the City of Kennewick in downtown and a professional presence will help support the downtown economy and fill the hole that would have otherwise been created with the district’s departure,” Freeman said.
