Puyallup Tribe breaks ground on key piece of massive redevelopment near casino
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians recently launched the first phase of a massive redevelopment project in Tacoma, breaking ground on a new administration building.
The building is listed as part of Phase 1 of the tribe’s plans for the multi-acre site filed with the city and reported by The News Tribune earlier this year.
The March 24 groundbreaking marked just one of several projects the tribe has launched recently.
“There are a lot of chapters in our book, and one of them is right here as we build our own admin building,” Chairman Bill Sterud said at Friday’s ceremony, with other tribal council members also in attendance.
Construction is set to begin in April on the four-story, 95,000-square-foot administration building, part of the redevelopment of the 17.6-acre site, 2024 E. 29th St., which was home to the Emerald Queen casino tents.
The administration building is set to be completed in 2024, and will include a four-story parking garage. Plans for future phases include a museum and entertainment district.
Wright Runstad & Company is the Tribe’s development manager for the project. Freiheit Architecture designed the building, and JTM Construction, whose clients include Evergreen Health and Tacoma Art Museum, is the builder, according to the tribe’s release about the project.
In 2020, the tribe opened the new Emerald Queen Casino. The following year, the tribe announced a partnership with Amazon on a sorting center in Fife, opened its EQC Tacoma hotel, launched the BetMGM @ EQC sportsbook and opened a fourth Commencement Bay Cannabis store.
Last year, a partnership with Kenmore Air for a seaplane service was announced, as well as plans with celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi for a new, Native-inspired international cuisine waterfront restaurant at the former C.I. Shenanigan’s site on Ruston Way.
This year, in addition to launching the former EQC site redevelopment, the tribe started an international logistics company, Tahoma Global Logistics, at the Port of Tacoma.
This story was originally published March 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
