This project website is for informational purposes only. The website may be occasionally updated but may not be current and is not intended to be a complete project record. Information, links, and attachments are part of an ongoing environmental permit application process with regulatory agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington State Department of Ecology, and City of Tacoma) and are subject to revision in response to agency comments received during the application process. There currently is no open regulatory comment period for this project. Future comment periods will be announced by the appropriate agency holding a comment period.

Project Summary

The Port of Tacoma is developing the Off-Dock Container Support Facility on 24.5 acres of Port-owned land along Thorne Road.  

Off-dock container facilities increase surge capacity and decrease supply chain congestion by improving container port operations and efficiencies that, in turn, ease impacts on the rest of the supply chain. Off-dock facilities free up on-dock space by providing an area for storing, staging, preparing, and processing containers and chassis.  

By easing congestion, the new facility will also help decrease air emissions from ships, trucks, and rail and yard equipment, while improving the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of goods in and out of the Port.  

The Port constructed the Lower Wapato Creek habitat site as advance mitigation for development projects, like the off-dock container support facility. The Lower Wapato Creek site preserved more than 110 native trees, including large cottonwoods, and includes a diverse array of approximately 150,000 trees, shrubs, and emergent/ground cover plants, in addition to a mix of more than 40 species of native grasses.   

 

Air Emission Benefits and Habitat Mitigation

 

  • The off-dock container facility will have positive impacts on air quality and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions from terminal operations by reducing the wait time for ships to come into the dock, burning less fuel in yard equipment by reducing the number of times a container is moved on the dock, reducing the number of trucks and the time they sit idling while waiting to get in and out of the terminals, and minimizing train backlogs. 
  • The 24.5-acre site is a combination of fully and partially graveled lots containing 4.42 acres of isolated Category III Wetlands that will be filled as part of this project. The Port will replace the wetland area with mitigation credits from its Lower Wapato Creek habitat site. The habitat site includes the restoration of a 20-acre tidally influenced estuary and fish bearing stream and preserves more than 100 native trees, including large cottonwoods, and is planted with a diverse array of approximately 150,000 trees, shrubs, and emergent/ground cover plants, in addition to a mix of more than 40 species of native grasses.   

 

Site Location

 

  • The project site is on three Port-owned parcels (24.5 acres total) east of Thorne Road and north of Maxwell Way in the Tideflats. 
  • Due to a shortage of available land in the Tideflats, it was determined that this is the only viable location for the facility. The site criteria included approximately 25 contiguous acres, a location within one mile of the Husky and Washington United Terminals entry gates, and excluding property already in use for Port logistics, major infrastructure/manufacturing, or mitigation sites.  

 

 

 

Site Alternatives Analysis

As part of the permitting process an alternatives analysis was conducted. It includes the project’s purpose and need, and design criteria for siting the facility. 

Read the Alternatives Analysis 

 

Environmental Review

SEPA 

A State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) environmental checklist was prepared, and a determination of non-significance was issued on June 15, 2018 for the General Central Peninsula (GCP) Improvement Program, which includes the three Thorne Road parcels where the container support facility will be built.  

 

NEPA

The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded funds to the Port under the Port Infrastructure Development Program to be used for improvements to Port properties. The use of these funds requires National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, which was provided through the Environmental Assessment (EA) process.  MARAD served as the lead federal agency for this NEPA EA. An EA public scoping comment period was open from July 1 to July 30, 2022. An Environmental Assessment was completed, and a finding of No Significant Impact was issued by MARAD in January 2023. 

Environmental Permitting

Applications for environmental permits were submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington State Department of Ecology, and City of Tacoma in late 2021. The application and supporting documents are provided below.

Next Steps

 

  • The Port is currently going through all required regulatory and permitting processes. 
  • It is anticipated the project will go out to bid in the first quarter of 2025. 
  • It is anticipated the facility will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026.