West Richland Wa Still Wrestling With Identity

The Home Depot store at Richland's City View development calls itself the West Richland store, and that hasn't escaped the attention of the West Richland City Council.

The council said Saturday it once again is thinking about the city's need to distinguish itself from its nearest neighbor by considering a name change.

It's just an idea at this point, and the council isn't ready to float any potential names past residents. But one thing was clear from the conversation at a council workshop at Three Rivers Transit Center -- it won't be Red Mountain.

A controversy brewed early in 2006 when Councilman Merle Johnson brought up the name change concept at the local chamber of commerce. Owners of Red Mountain wineries and vineyards accused the city of trying to steal their name, while some West Richland residents told the council they liked their name just fine. The idea was dropped in May.

If the council decides to pursue a name change in 2007, it'll go about things differently this time. Councilman Ken Dobbin suggested a series of town hall meetings and maybe a citizen ad hoc committee were the best ways to drum up citizen support. Creating a new brand for itself is a key component to West Richland's economic development strategy, said Mayor Dale Jackson.

"We're in competition for business," Jackson said. "Any expert will tell you need a unique identity to market a product. Our product is quality of life in our city."

At a time when the city is making a major push to transition from a municipal economy dependent on property tax to one based on sales tax, identity is crucial, Jackson said.

The Home Depot isn't the only national company confusing Richland with West Richland, Jackson said.

He attended a business conference in 2006 where representatives of the Marriott hotel chain said they had just opened a hotel in West Richland when Jackson mentioned where he was from. Jackson ended up giving them a little geography lesson, he said.

The problem is many people identify Richland neighborhoods by points on the compass, so West Richland gets lumped in with north Richland and south Richland, said Councilwoman Gail Brown and Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Aldrich.

Even state legislators from outside the Tri-Cities don't know West Richland is a separate city, Aldrich said.

"If we have state legislators who think we're part of Richland, we have an identity problem," she said.

This story was published Sunday, February 4th, 2007, by Michelle Dupler, Tri City Herald staff writer.

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Joe and Colleen Lane are Southeast Washington State Realtors® specializing in Real Estate Tri Cities WA buyer/seller services for Kennewick Real Estate, Richland Real Estate, Pasco Real Estate, and surrounding areas.  Search the MLS for residential houses, multifamily homes, commercial buildings, vacant land, and condos.  Professional service providing real estate information for all areas of Benton/Franklin counties.  Check out our Free Real Estate Articles.  Call Joe or Colleen Lane toll free 1-800-526-3588.

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