Sneak peek: Walking trails, water access are part of new Tacoma maritime center design
The Port of Tacoma just released conceptual design photos for the new $73 million Port Maritime Center that’s planned along the Foss Waterway in Tacoma.
Expected to open in spring 2026, it will feature a new Port of Tacoma office space and a more centralized Maritime | 253 skills center run by Tacoma Public Schools.
Preliminary photos show two sleek silver buildings with lots of windows along the Wheeler-Osgood and Thea Foss waterways just south of the Murray Morgan Bridge. Parking lots for the business center and skills center will be built along East 11th Place and East F Street, according to the draft site plan.
Architects are planning to add solar panels to the new port building, as well as public amenities like walking trails, a public plaza and waterway access, according to the Port of Tacoma.
The preliminary design for the new Port business office, which also will include Port Commission meeting chambers, is a 60,000-square-foot, two-and-a-half story building. It will accommodate about 150 Port of Tacoma and Northwest Seaport Alliance employees, according to the Port.
The Maritime | 253 skills center will be designed, built and operated by Tacoma Public Schools. It will provide career and technical education to Pierce County junior and senior high school students, preparing them for jobs in the maritime industry.
It will cost the Port an estimated $80 million to $110 million to complete the project, which includes construction, site and shoreline improvements and environmental remediation, Port communications manager Graham Johnson told The News Tribune Wednesday.
“The Port’s current five-year Capital Investment Plan and operating outlook anticipates sufficient funds will be available. The Port does not anticipate the need to borrow additional money or raise property taxes to fund the Maritime Center project,” he said. “The school district is paying for its own building and sharing some of the cost of site work.”
The skills center has a construction budget of $35 million, as previously reported by The News Tribune. The state Legislature has $8 million earmarked for the skill center over the course of the 2023-25 biennium, according to Tacoma Public Schools.
Master planning and design will continue through 2024 and construction will begin in 2025. Construction on the Port Maritime Center is expected to be completed in December 2026 and the Maritime | 253 skills center is expected to be completed in July 2026.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
