Puyallup Tribe plans large warehouse project. City of Fife is concerned about traffic
The Puyallup Tribe plans to build a 500,000- to 800,000-square-foot warehouse off Levee Road within the next five years, according to documents submitted to the City of Fife.
City officials are worried about traffic impacts from the warehouse, which is expected to employ as many as 500 people, and has asked the tribe to contribute to road improvements. The tribe has declined.
The warehouse project, known as “Project Beige,” is planned for 42.5 acres of tribal land within the Fife city limits at 7449 45th St. Ct. E. There are 1,282 homes in proximity to the project, including Radiance, Saddle Creek and Valley Haven neighborhoods.
The warehouse’s anticipated opening date is 2026, according to a traffic impact analysis requested by the Puyallup Tribe. The tribe said in an environmental checklist sent to the city that construction would begin after permits are completed.
Puyallup Tribe communications director Michael Thompson told The Puyallup Herald recently it is too soon to discuss details of the project.
“The design is not complete, so it is premature to discuss square footage, timelines, possible road impacts and other details,” Thompson said in a statement.
The tribe’s environmental checklist showed the project would result in 1,152 daily vehicle trips. There would be an average of 82 trips related to the warehouse during the peak evening commute hour.
The City of Fife sent the Puyallup Tribe a letter on Jan. 6 requesting $3.56 million for road improvements. The letter said the money would “only be used for system improvements that will benefit the Project, specifically the 70th Avenue corridor …”
The letter also asked the tribe to include more road work, like adding a northbound right turn lane on 70th Avenue East onto 45th Street Court East.
The tribe has declined to make or pay for road improvements.
“Our project does not fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Fife, and we respectfully decline to agree to any improvements or cost outlined in the letter,” the tribe’s response letter said.
The traffic impact study said that without improvements the 70th Avenue East and 45th Street Court East intersection would see a deterioration of service, according to national standards, from “generally stable” to “at or near capacity, with long queues developing on all approaches and long delays.”
“It should be noted that tribal trust property is not subject to these standards,” the traffic study said.
Fife City Manager Hyun Kim said the city would not pay for improvements but that traffic impacts should be mitigated.
“What we are trying to do is be good partners,” he told The Puyallup Herald. “We would like to get those improvements for our community. If their only access to the site is that bottleneck intersection, it’s not going to be helpful for the community or their project.”
Thompson said the tribe is looking at many options for economic development and diversification.
“The tribe values its good relationships with neighboring jurisdictions and will work to ensure the community is informed when more information can be shared,” Thompson said.
Because the Puyallup Tribe is a sovereign nation, it has the right to develop the property as it sees fit. The land was previously used for farming, according to tribal documents submitted to the city.
Fife became aware of the project when the tribe began discussions about utilities last year, Kim said. A utilities agreement has been reached between Fife and the Puyallup Tribe for water, sewer and stormwater connections.
Kim said that, in general, developers who want to build within the city limits would be required to present initial plans and begin months of conversations about utilities and service needs. Once permits were filed, an environmental checklist process would start.
The checklist would address potential environmental, traffic and aesthetic impacts of a project. The checklist also requires notification of nearby communities. People could comment in public meetings and at City Council meetings, Kim said. Only after mitigation was made and the environmental checklist completed could construction begin.
Since the property being developed is tribal land, Thompson said, the tribe is following its Tribal Environmental Policy Act in the development of “Project Beige.”
“As you know, the Tribe holds itself and other governments as well as businesses to high standards to protect our precious environment,” he said in a statement.
News of the warehouse plans did not become public until Kim mentioned the project briefly at the end of the Feb. 23 city council meeting.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
