A building carries the story of what happened inside it. Changing its future begins by deciding what the place should make possible next.
Make the next use serve the neighborhood
In 2021, Jared and Stephannie Walther bought the former City Stars property at 101 S. Gum Street in Kennewick. The club had already closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their purchase ensured it would not reopen, and their plan was to lease the building to a small grocery and Mexican meat market in a neighborhood with limited food options.
The Tri-City Herald photographed Jared pulling down the City Stars sign while members of the Apostolic Center watched. The visible moment mattered, but the deeper idea was practical: replace a place associated with exploitation and hurt with something families could use every week.
Purpose becomes visible through a practical use
The proposed carniceria was not an abstract redevelopment slogan. It was a specific response to a neighborhood with limited grocery options. Food is ordinary, recurring, and useful—the opposite of a concept designed mainly to attract attention.
That is an important discipline in community real estate: begin with the daily life of the people around the property. Ask what families already travel to find, what local operators need, and which use would make the block more dependable.
Change the direction of a place
Removing the old sign was a visible marker, but the larger decision was that the former club would not reopen under Jared and Stephannie's ownership. The property would be pointed toward a different kind of future.
The principle remains useful beyond one building: when you control an asset, you can decide whether it merely produces income or also strengthens the place around it. The strongest projects are designed to do both.
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