Delayed ramp work at convention center garage set to start

Work to build a ramp into the Greater Tacoma Convention Center’s parking lot could begin March 27.

Sidewalks along Commerce Street by South 17th Street will be closed at that time, and Absher Construction will erect a fence by April 20 to block access to surface parking lots within the hotel’s eventual footprint. People attending convention center events will no longer be able to access the parking lot from the Broadway and South 17th Street entrance.

After the ramp is built, cars can enter the parking lot under the convention center. The ramp, at the southeast corner of the building, will bypass the hotel construction site and allow cars into the parking garage.

The ramp’s construction will allow Yareton Investment and Management LLC to start preparing the site for its 300-room Marriott-branded hotel.

Yes, you’ve heard this before — twice, in fact.

The city first announced the ramp’s construction in November, which was slated to begin after Christmas. Then the city said a paperwork delay had pushed construction into January.

This time it’s no false alarm, said business development manager Elly Walkowiak.

“Everything is in order for them to access the site,” she said Tuesday.

Yareton’s development agreement with the city requires a June 15 start on vertical construction, Walkowiak said. The city will continue to own the land for now.

Before ramp construction could begin, Walkowiak said, the city required several forms of insurance and a letter of credit for around $5.2 million to conduct site repairs if the project is abandoned for whatever reason. The city also required an original signature on what’s called a “right of entry indemnification and restoration agreement.”

“This agreement went to Shanghai and it had to be signed originally and come back to us,” Walkowiak said. “That took some time.”

After building the ramp, construction crews will remove a surface parking lot and a building within the hotel’s eventual footprint.

The ramp will remain as the hotel is built, Walkowiak said. After the hotel is operating, it could become access for valet parking.

Construction work hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and include high-noise activities, according to a city news release.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Delayed ramp work at convention center garage set to start."