Major project in Pierce County stalled due to federal government shutdown
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gig Harbor awaits federal permit approvals after shutdown stalls public dock project.
- City targets mid July 2026 in-water construction window; needs permits by January.
- City budgeted $3.5M for project; updated cost estimate may be available early next year.
The city of Gig Harbor wants to build a new commercial fishing dock next year, but holdups in the review process for permits during the federal government shutdown could further delay the project, which has already been in the works for a decade.
“At this point, we are really at go time, where we have done everything that we have been told to do,” City Administrator Katrina Knutson said in a phone call Oct. 28. “And we’re really relying on the federal government to come back to work and review and approve our permits so that we can get this going.”
Gig Harbor’s proposed Commercial Fishing Homeport at Ancich Waterfront Park is a public dock project that staff and commercial fishing advocates have been pushing for since 2013. The dock would provide moorage for up to 17 vessels, the News Tribune reported.
The homeport would serve both a symbolic and practical use, honoring the role of Croatian commercial fishing families in Gig Harbor’s history while also providing current fishing families a place to moor their boats. The project is anticipated to attract tourism and more foot traffic to local businesses, the city wrote in a news release about the project’s progress May 7.
“From honoring Croatian-American traditions to supporting a new generation of maritime workers and maintaining the small-town character residents cherish, the project reflects the community’s identity and economic resilience,” the release said.
Knutson told the city council during the Oct. 13 city council meeting that the city had begun the process to purchase the necessary mitigation credits for the homeport through the Puget Sound Partnership. These credits are calculated based on a project’s projected impacts to nearshore habitat, and money earned from the sale of these credits go toward conservation projects managed by the Partnership, according to the Partnership website.
That process is going well, and the mitigation component is what the city was waiting for, Knutson told the city council.
The holdup now has been with federal agencies who work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and are supposed to participate in the permit review process.
National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees have been furloughed during the federal government shutdown which began Sept. 30, meaning that the city’s permits can’t continue through the review process for the time being, said Knutson.
“The U.S. Army Corps has emailed the information to the services,” Gig Harbor Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm said via phone Tuesday. “It’s just my understanding there’s nobody there to receive, review, respond.”
Even if the city had the permits now, they wouldn’t be able to begin in-water construction until mid-July of next year. The city needs their permits by January to stay on schedule, he said.
The city’s news release May 7 said that the city is bound by a limited window for in-water construction due to environmental regulations, which are based on fish migration patterns in Puget Sound. That window typically runs from July 15 to Feb. 15 of each year, the release said.
The city’s consultant, Facet, is working to finalize components of the mitigation design, Langhelm said. Their contract was extended with the city council’s approval Monday.
“And so, ideally, we would have a permit in hand in the next couple months ... requesting bids for this project in late winter, and then receive bids, award a contract in the early spring timeframe, and then be under construction this summer,” he said.
Knutson and Langhelm confirmed that the $3.5 million the city has budgeted for the project includes funding to purchase the mitigation credits, along with funds for other mitigation work. It also includes funding to pay for the ongoing consulting services.
City staff noted in their recent agenda bill to extend the city’s contract with Facet that the city has “expended more of the contract budget for design and permitting than anticipated by this time,” given the extended time they’ve spent in the permit review process.
Asked if the city expects to remain within budget for the homeport, Langhelm said he doesn’t know yet. The city will receive an updated construction cost estimate as part of the final design package, likely early next year, he said.
Knutson and Langhelm both expressed confidence in the changes the city has made to meet the requirements for approval, this time around. The News Tribune reported that the city has already gone through multiple rounds of review, learning each time that they needed to address some new issue such as stormwater runoff, kelp growing near the site and ensuring protections for two species listed under the Endangered Species Act, the bull trout and marbled murrelet.
“We have done all that we can,” Knutson told the city council Oct. 13, adding that as soon as the federal government reopens, city staff will keep the council “apprised on where we are.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM.
