Vista Field

The airport was closed for economic and land-use reasons. It was operating at a financial loss for its owner, the Port of Kennewick. Its central location within a rapidly growing city made the 103-acre property extremely valuable for redevelopment. The Port made a strategic decision to close the airport and repurpose the land into a mixed-use urban center, which was projected to generate far greater economic and community benefits than the underutilized airfield.

The site is currently being transformed into a large-scale, master-planned urban village, which retains the name 'Vista Field'. The redevelopment project, led by the Port of Kennewick, is creating a dense, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with a mix of residential housing, commercial offices, retail stores, restaurants, and public green spaces. A key feature of the design is the preservation of a portion of the old runway, which has been repurposed into a linear park and pedestrian promenade, serving as the central spine of the new community and paying homage to the site's aviation history.

Vista Field's history began during World War II when it was established as a civilian pilot training field for the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, the Port of Kennewick acquired the property in 1948. For the next 65 years, it served as the primary general aviation airport for the city of Kennewick. It handled a variety of operations including private and corporate flights, flight training, aircraft maintenance, and served as a base for agricultural aircraft. It was a key piece of infrastructure for the local aviation community before general aviation traffic was consolidated at the larger Richland Airport (KRLD) and Tri-Cities Airport (KPSC). Its FAA identifier was S98.

There are zero prospects for reopening Vista Field as an airport. The site has been permanently re-zoned and is undergoing irreversible redevelopment. The runway and aviation infrastructure have been removed, and new streets, utilities, and buildings have been constructed. The future of the site is solely focused on the continued build-out of the Vista Field urban village.