Tacoma: Bridge Industrial Project
The Bridge Industrial Warehouse Project, a proposed 150-acre development on the former BNSF rail maintenance site in South Tacoma, aims to create approximately 2.5 million square feet of light industrial and warehouse space within four large buildings. Situated south of the Nalley Valley industrial/commercial zone, between South Tyler Street and the Sound Transit Sounder line at 5024 S Madison Street, the project site is zoned for industrial use.
Permitting and public review spanned from 2021 to 2023, culminating in a permit approval in April 2023, which was subsequently upheld by the City’s Hearing Examiner in October 2023, subject to specific conditions. Initial site work commenced in early March 2024, focusing on erosion and wetland protection, followed by grading, fill, utility installation, and paving. Civil work, including soil compaction and paving, continued throughout 2024 alongside building foundation work, with building construction anticipated in 2025 and overall project completion also expected in 2025.
The four proposed buildings will each be approximately 40 feet tall, featuring loading docks on two sides (Building D on one side) and office/pedestrian entries at the corners. Constructed primarily of concrete with glass corner windows and metal siding accents, the buildings will align with the architectural style of other regional warehouses.
Environmental protection is a key consideration, particularly for the wetlands and forested area on the western part of the site. The project underwent SEPA review and secured a Critical Areas Permit with conditions. These conditions mandate the restoration, enlargement, and enhancement of wetlands and the stream, protection of Garry Oak trees (with compensatory planting), preservation and enhancement of steep slopes and treed areas (with permanent title recording of these protections), and ongoing monitoring of plantings. The SEPA determination was a Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS), contingent on measures such as clean-fuel construction equipment, no-idling rules, 30% tree canopy coverage (with potential payment in lieu), traffic monitoring with trip generation caps, construction of a new north truck access to South 35th Street, intersection improvements at 35th and Union, improvements to South Madison Street, and a public bicycle/pedestrian path along the north-south road. Pedestrian improvements (sidewalk connections, rail crossing upgrades, bicycle lanes) on various streets and intersections are also required, all to be in place or funded before permanent occupancy of any buildings.