Big change coming to long-vacant ‘eyesore’ lot at busy Richland intersection

The corner of Leslie Road and Gage Boulevard in south Richland, once known for its eyesore gas station, is getting a fresh start.

Spokane-based Wake Up Call will build a 500-square-foot drive-thru cafe on the site of the now-demolished Circle K station, according to plans disclosed this week on the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Register.

Wake Up Call is the successor to Roasters Coffee, the Tri-Cities chain that once had its own plan to situate a coffee stand at the intersection.

A series of ownership changes transformed Roasters to the Wake Up brand in May 2023.

The future Wake Up Call will occupy an 0.36-acre site near Safeway and Greek Islands restaurant at 590 Gage Blvd. It will be the chain’s 14th local location.

The city of Richland previously acquired narrow strips of land to accommodate future improvements to the busy intersection.

Richland issued a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) on July 3, meaning it won’t have a major environmental impact. The planning department will accept comments through July 19.

A DNS is typically secured before the developer applies for a building permit. No building permits associated with the address were visible July 5 in Richland’s building permits records.

Redevelopment follows a long process to remove the gas station, fueling tanks and other contaminants from the corner so that it could be reused.

The former Circle K gas station and convenience store were demolished this spring, following the removal of four fuel tanks along with gasoline, benzene and related contaminants in the soil several years earlier.

The Pollution Liability Insurance agency determined no additional action was required in late 2021 and the property was entered into a cleanup program for possible lead and arsenic contamination a year later.

Six groundwater monitoring wells were sealed last summer. The Washington Department of Ecology confirmed the property was clean in a letter to the former owner, Circle K Inc., in 2023.

A team led by Lance Bacon, a local real estate broker, purchase d it for $425,000 earlier this year, promising to bring new development to the tiny property.

Wake Up Call has 13 Tri-Cities coffee stands — six in Kennewick, two in Pasco and five in Richland.

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