WSU Begins Construction on New $18M Plant Facility in Wenatchee

A new Plant Growth Facility at Washington State University's Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center (TFREC) began construction in early April.

$18 Million Facility Breaks Ground in Wenatchee

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The WSU Board of Regents gave the green light for the $18 million, 24,000-square-foot facility in March. Construction is expected to take about a year, with an opening planned for summer 2027.

“It’s going to be very exciting to see it take shape,” said Lee Kalcsits, endowed chair and programmatic lead at TFREC. “As people see it grow, they’ll really start to understand the capabilities it’s going to bring.”

The project will replace 70-year-old greenhouses and will be designed to meet critical space and environmental needs for plant growth and scientific experiments.

New Facility Designed for Advanced Plant Research

The university said the TFREC’s greatest need is controlled growing environments, and the new building provides that. In the new design, there will be two wings of planned greenhouse space with 20 compartments, totaling about 9,000 square feet, which will let researchers control lighting, temperature, and CO2 levels.

Similarly, other new workspaces and laboratories were incorporated into the design, including a 2,150-square-foot clean microbiology lab and several rooms for DNA-based experiments, creating the necessary infrastructure for advanced plant science research.

“This will help us do more of the kinds of advanced molecular work that we haven’t been able to tackle until now,” Kalcsits said.

State Funding and Industry Support Back Project

Construction is supported by a $10 million allocation from the Washington State Legislature's 2025-2027 capital budget. Stemilt Growers is one of several industry partners pledging more than $1.7 million to aid the project.

The remaining costs of construction will be supported by royalties from WSU's Cosmic Crisp apple variety.

Construction Timeline and What Comes Next

A topping-off ceremony to celebrate the placement of the final beam in the building's construction is planned for this fall, which will be about halfway through construction.