Walmart gas station, CDL savings top busy College Place City Council agenda
By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, July 14th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
COLLEGE PLACE — The College Place City Council will hold a regular meeting tonight (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. to review three administrative reports, including a highly anticipated update on an economic development tracker highlighting a proposed Walmart gas station.
The proposal, known as Project Murphy USA, looks to establish a gas station in the outlet lot of the Meadowbrook Walmart. First generating interest in June 2024, the timeline shows corporate permission was sought later that August. While site plans were targeted for May 2025, supply chain disruptions placed the project on hold by July 2025. According to city documents, the development remains officially paused as of this month.
Beyond commercial developments, Community Development Director Jon Rickard’s tracker update shares updates on local housing, including preliminary engineering for the 35-lot Homestead Subdivision Phase 4, located between Southwest Homestead Avenue and Doans Avenue, south of Fourth Street, and imminent late-summer construction on the 180-unit Latitude Apartments, located south of the intersection of East Whitman Drive and Northeast Deccio Road.
The council will also hear two other public works reports. The first details innovative commercial driver’s license (CDL) training efficiencies. By partnering with an in-house consultant, the city cut staff training time from six weeks to just seven days. This initiative dropped overall costs from $37,000 to $10,000 per trainee, capturing national attention in the American Public Works Association’s summer magazine.
Finally, the city will review a $6,200 risk reduction grant awarded by the Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA). The fully funded grant required no local match and allowed the city to purchase a sidewalk grinder to eliminate local trip hazards.
File photo of College Place City Hall
