Port of Tacoma wants to demolish 8 buildings. Here’s what the $3 million project includes
Five properties at the Port of Tacoma are set to be demolished by early 2023 to allow for terminal expansion.
The State Environmental Policy Act is holding public comment until Aug. 26 for the 2022 Port of Tacoma Building Demolition Program.
The demolition of eight vacant structures, the disconnection and capping of utilities and minimal fill and grade at five Port-owned properties is estimated to cost $3.38 million. Demolition is expected to be completed Jan. 30.
The projects are at 1110 E. Alexander Ave., 2144 and 2202 Port of Tacoma Road, 2220 E. 11th St. and 2302 Ross Way.
The project’s aim is to demolish old, functionally obsolete buildings that are at the end of their useful life and to make those properties available for terminal expansion and terminal support activities.
The 2202 E. 11th St. site is currently used by Port maintenance for storage of its rail parts. The property contains three one-story buildings, including a 1458-square-foot office building, a 1846-square-foot shop building with canopy and 1633-square-foot shop/storage building, that are beyond their useful life and are non-performing assets. The buildings that were adjacent to the property were demolished in 2020 and opened up a multi-acre area for future terminal expansion and support activities. Demolishing the three buildings will provide an additional 0.59 acres of contiguous yard pace and will be available for terminal support activities. Once demolished, the property could generate $46,000 in annual rental revenue.
The property was a retail gasoline station operated as Jess’s Signal Service/Enco Tiger from the early 1960s to about 1970. Product lines and portions of the pump islands likely remain. Soil and groundwater testing confirmed the general absence of petroleum.
The Port-owned property at 2302 Ross Way, totaling 45,000 square feet, contains a warehouse/office building and storage shed and sits on a four-acre parcel that has restricted use with the warehouse. The property is located in the Port’s strategic area for terminal expansion. The building needs roof repairs that would cost $450,000. The demolition would provide an additional 1.2 acres of yard space and provide full utilization of the four-acre parcel, which is needed for terminal expansion and support activities. The two-story warehouse was originally constructed in 1919. Georgia Pacific removed an 8,000-gallon diesel UST in 1988. Diesel was not detected in the soil sample. Demolition will cost $1.475 million.
The property at 1110 E. Alexander Ave., located south of the TOTE Terminal, is a three-acre site with two small docks on Commencement Bay’s Blair Waterway. Two small warehouses on the property were demolished in 2020. The remaining 4,000-square-foot building had a tenant at the time. The building, which was constructed in 1970, is now vacant and has safety issues and is an attraction to vandals. Demolition of the building will add one acre of leasable yard space and generate approximately $78,000 annual rental revenue. The demolition project will cost $313,000.
The 2202 Port of Tacoma Road is a 35,200-square-foot, two-story warehouse and office building that was previously occupied by Customs and Border Protection. It will be vacant by the end of October. The depressed loading dock will be filled with gravel. The building was constructed in 1980. Demolition will cost $1.031 million.
The 2144 Port of Tacoma Road building is adjacent to 2202 Port of Tacoma Road. It’s a 6,000-square-foot, single-story warehouse building, which was purchased by the Port in 1984. For more than 10 years, the building has been used for miscellaneous storage and employee functions. It costs the Port $35,000 a year to operate the building. Continued use of the building will require substantial improvements, and maintenance and repair costs are expected to increase substantially in future years. The property is located across from Washington United Terminals. This 1.65-acre property will produce a minimum rent of $128,700 a year. The demolition project will cost $306,000.
Project costs for all buildings except for 2302 Ross Way will be expensed as incurred. The Ross Way building will be capitalized as a land-improvement project.
All the property’s sewer lines and water lines will be decommissioned by cutting and capping the lines. Power and telecommunications services will be de-energized and removed at the buildings.
Demolition will be conducted mechanically — no explosives — and will include recycling materials from the structure as feasible.
Hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls and other hazardous materials found during demolition, will be remediated.
The State Environmental Policy Act looks at how a proposal may impact the environment, including air and water quality, transportation infrastructure, utilities and more.
