Since 2024, the corner of Trowbridge Boulevard and Ava Way has had a parking lot, open grass, a restroom, and one patch of ground that the plans set aside for later. That patch now has a contractor on it. The City of Richland started building the playground at West Village Community Park the week of October 5, and it expects most of the work to be done by the end of November, weather permitting.
The wait made the playground bigger. Richland put off the equipment until it could pull money from three separate places into one larger project. The design also has a local tie. People who live nearby asked for a fire-station theme, and Fire Station 76 is the building right next door.
The Empty Space Was in the Plan From the Start
West Village Community Park covers 33.70 acres in Badger Mountain South. Phase 1 developed only about five of them. In the spring of 2024, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reported what that first section would hold: parking, landscaping, grass play areas, a bathroom, and space for a playground to be installed in a second phase. In its April 2024 roundup, the Tri-City Herald also said playground equipment would come in phase two.
So the open patch on the lawn was a placeholder from day one. The city's own description of Phase 1 calls it "the foundation for future recreational amenities as the surrounding Badger Mountain South neighborhood continues to grow." The park was built in stages to keep pace with the homes around it, and the playground was always meant to be one of the later stages.
The Neighbors Picked a Theme From Next Door
The city asked residents what they wanted before it chose a design. At the Richland Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on December 11, 2025, Parks and Facilities Supervisor Colvin presented the final Phase 2 concept. According to the commission minutes, the design reflected community input from an engagement event, "including strong support for adding swings and incorporating a fire-station theme."
The theme matches the building beside the park. Richland Fire Station 76, at 4307 Trowbridge Boulevard, held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on September 17, 2024. The City of Richland's announcement invited residents to meet fire and emergency personnel and take a self-guided tour. The station is 10,850 square feet and cost $6.9 million, and the Journal of Business reported that construction wrapped up in September 2024. A local TV report said the station is staffed around the clock and keeps a grass truck, an ambulance, and a fire truck.
The station and the park went up in the same year. The playground finishes the set, and its theme points back at the station.
Why the Wait Ran Into Fall 2026
The city's capital project page posts updates every season. Read in order, they show each step it took to get here:
- 2025: Richland holds a community outreach event to gather ideas for playground themes and features. Those ideas become several concept options.
- Fall 2025: The Parks and Public Facilities Department asks for more capital money in the 2026 budget so the playground can match "the appropriate level of service for a community park."
- November and December 2025: The Parks and Recreation Commission reviews the concepts. On December 11 it votes 8-0 to recommend that City Council approve the final design.
- Spring 2026: City crews and Benton County work release crews get the site ready for a contractor, and the city expects to finish that summer.
- Week of October 5, 2026: Construction begins.
The summer target slipped to late fall. The December minutes give the reason for the larger budget behind it:
To support a larger and more inclusive playground, staff secured additional funding in the 2026 budget.
According to those minutes, the money comes from three sources:
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Carried over from 2025 | $450,000 |
| New funding in the 2026 budget | $300,000 |
| Park reserves | $100,000 |
| Total for Phase 2 | $850,000 |
The $450,000 that rolled over from 2025 was already in hand. Adding the new 2026 money and the reserves nearly doubled it, and that increase is why the project covers a wider range of ages and abilities.
What Should Be Done by the End of November, and What Comes in Late December
The City of Richland's October 6 update describes a playground for children of different ages and abilities. It will include:
- Accessible play elements
- Sensory play elements
- Climbing features
- Slides
- Swings, which residents specifically asked for
- Other interactive pieces
The fall work covers site prep, putting in the equipment and the ground surface under it, and some minor landscaping changes. The city expects most of that to be finished by the end of November. A few custom playground panels are set to arrive and go in during late December. Until then, the city asks people to be careful around the construction zone, where crews and equipment will be working.
The city has not said what the custom panels will show. Given the theme residents chose, the panels are the most likely spot for the fire-station look to show up. Either way, they are the last piece and are scheduled to arrive around the holidays.
The Shade Structure Is Already Penciled In
The final concept shows one more feature with no money behind it yet. The December minutes mark a spot for a future shade structure and describe it as "outside the current project scope and budget and included only for long-term planning context."
The playground followed the same path. It showed up on the 2024 plan as a reserved space and got funded later. The shade structure now has a reserved spot on the 2025 plan, waiting for a future budget.
Even with the playground built, more than 28 of the park's 33.70 acres are still undeveloped. The rules that govern the wider neighborhood describe a similar long build-out. The Badger Mountain South development regulations, last amended March 4, 2025, plan for about 10 miles of trails at full build-out. Paved multi-use primary trails will connect neighborhoods across the community, and soft-surface secondary trails will link the greenway areas. The park and the trails are both being built in pieces as the homes around them fill in. If you'd rather hike on the mountain itself, our post on Little Badger's summit trail covers that ridge.
The city posts West Village updates on its Phase II project page. That page should show when the custom panels go in and whether the shade structure gets added to a future budget.
If you live near Trowbridge and want to talk about what the park's later phases could mean for your street, or you have questions about homes in South Richland, Jason Barrow is glad to talk it through with you.
