Goodwill won’t build Tacoma apartment complex, seeks new Spanaway store site
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Goodwill abandons proposed 400‑unit Tacoma apartment project.
- Goodwill’s lease at Spanaway-Parkland area retail site ends in July.
- SimonCRE bought center from Goodwill in 2024, plans Grocery Outlet‑anchored redevelopment.
A regional nonprofit that previously proposed hundreds of new apartments in Tacoma is no longer considering the project, its leader told The News Tribune on Tuesday.
It’s also exploring other retail sites in the Parkland-Spanaway area as its lease at its formerly owned shopping-center location expires this summer.
Lori Forte Harnick is president and CEO of Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region. In an emailed response to questions from The News Tribune, she wrote, “With regard to the potential of developing multifamily housing on our property that is adjacent to our Milgard Work Opportunity Center, we have decided to not move forward with that project.”
The apartment development plans were first reported by The News Tribune in September 2024 after Goodwill submitted a pre-application proposing a 400-unit apartment complex with onsite parking at 714 S. 27th St. The project’s cost was estimated at $100 million.
The pre-app offered an estimated timeline of permits to be filed in summer 2026, with an estimated construction start date of April 2027. At the time, no specific financing plan had been determined, a Goodwill representative told The News Tribune in 2024.
The last communication the city’s permit office had with Goodwill on the project was in November 2024, according to city officials.
Harnick told The News Tribune via email on Tuesday that there are no further details to share as to the reasons behind the change.
In May 2025, the regional Goodwill entity acquired the site of its processing center and outlet store — 3102 and 3120 S. Pine St. — more than 10 acres with the buildings totaling 198,568 square feet, according to county records.
Goodwill bought the properties for $41 million from an LLC affiliated with CenterPoint Properties, a national developer of industrial/logistics sites. CenterPoint acquired the site in 2017 for $11 million, according to county records.
Harnick told The News Tribune at that time, “The property we purchased from CenterPoint is the location where we have run our central donations production and transportation operations for many years.
“It is a very important element of our thrift retail social enterprise, and we are pleased to now own this important facility.”
Shopping center update
Harnick on Tuesday confirmed that the nonprofit’s lease for the Spanaway Goodwill Center, 14906 Pacific Ave. S., expires at the end of July.
“We are actively reviewing a number of options for the best way to continue serving the Spanaway community through our thrift retail enterprise,” Harnick wrote.
The News Tribune reported in December 2024 that the regional Goodwill entity sold the shopping center for $10 million to an LLC affiliated with SimonCRE. The company is a national commercial real estate acquisition and development company based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
News of Grocery Outlet coming to the site was announced at that time, along with the fact that Goodwill would remain as a tenant in the short term as plans for the center’s redevelopment took shape.
The Puget Sound Business Journal on Monday reported that Goodwill would be leaving the shopping center, and Ross Dress for Less would move in, opening next year along with Grocery Outlet.
Permit activity has appeared in Pierce County’s online development permit portal for both Ross and the grocery, though a representative for the owner on Tuesday did not confirm the Ross move and did not mention Goodwill in his response.
Nick Robello is director of marketing for SimonCRE. In an emailed response to questions from The News Tribune, he stated, “We are kicking off a redevelopment of the center, anchored by Grocery Outlet, and we will be bringing several new tenants into the property.”
He added, “We are not in a position to confirm additional retailers just yet, but we are very excited to commence construction and make a meaningful impact in the community. Our goal is to materially upgrade the center and create a strong, lasting momentum.“
Robello also stated that SimonCRE is under contract on another shopping center in the area but did not disclose the location.
“Overall, it is a very busy pipeline, and we are focused on executing at a high level across the board,” he added.
Previous reporting from The News Tribune contributed to this report.
