Opposition to Bridge Industrial’s Warehouse/Distribution Center in South Tacoma

Petition to not approve permit application # LU21-0125

To Shirley Schultz:

Community members of Tacoma have come together to express concerns regarding the proposed project covering 160+ acres in the middle of our urban area and above our groundwater aquifer. 

1)      First, very few people are even aware of this massive project, which will significantly impact their quality of daily life.  Postcards were mailed to only a very small radius, and any posted signs were in an area unseen by the general public.  Construction projects larger than 20 acres should have a required developer fee for appropriate outreach, covering the cost of billboard rental and signs in all directions of the proposed site for at least a mile radius on main arterial roads. It’s not right that a project of this scale can be approved with so little community awareness and input.

2)      Residents of the South Tacoma neighborhood do not want more warehouses or other typical industrial buildings.  There are already enough warehouses in the area for rent or for sale; the roads and other infrastructure cannot accommodate more.

3)      We, as a culturally, racially and socially- diverse community feel that our health and safety are at risk because of this proposed development of warehouses. South Tacoma cannot have additional traffic congestion in our neighborhoods, which also leads to additional stress. This area is already consumed with traffic jams at the S. 56 th Street I-5 exit and near S. Washington railroad crossings. More traffic will impede accessing businesses in the Tacoma Mall area and South Tacoma Way. These are also high pedestrian areas with school crossings which cannot accommodate large distribution vehicles. Even the north access from Hwy 16 and Union Avenue should not be further congested. These are also high pedestrian areas with school crossings which cannot accommodate large distribution vehicles.

4)      We cannot have the additional noise pollution from construction or operation.  There are many studies regarding harmful increased blood pressure from noise pollution such as is already experienced in South Tacoma,  currently suffering noise stress from the Sounder Station trains and road crossings (horns starting at 4:45 am and continuing well into the evening), low-flying JBLM aircraft rattle our windows day and night without assistance offered for triple pane windows, plus constant noise from I-5 and added air pollution from both are additional mental and physical stressors we cannot have more of.

5)      Allowing this permit to move forward completely contradicts the city’s Vision Zero Resolution # 40559 and the Emergency Climate Resolution # 40509, since adding the estimated 1400 semi-truck trips daily and about 5,000 weekday vehicle trips will increase greenhouse gasses, negatively impacting climate and human health.

6)      This warehouse/distribution center proposal will destroy some of the last paths for urban wildlife to traverse between Tacoma Nature Center and SERA Center (through what used to be natural wetlands we should be restoring). The thousands of animals in the area includes protected species deserving of biodiversity.  Any disruption to mature Douglas Fir and protected Garry Oaks would negatively impact upper canopy life, such as bald eagles.  Salamanders and frogs should not have their last remaining area adjusted in any way.  Coyotes also live in the vicinity but weren’t mentioned on the SEPA check-list, as well as the pocket gopher which is a threatened species by the state.  Coyotes serve greatly in balance of species, as do bats (requiring quiet and darkness) for insect control.  All will be negatively impacted by this warehouse plan, and there is no way to mitigate around that.

7)      We cannot have increased light pollution in the evening hours. Wildlife and residents suffer from flood lights which increases stress and affects quality sleep leading to other health issues.

8)      This warehouse will cover some of the last open green space in South Tacoma, which the Neighborhood Council has advocated for years to improve and protect for the benefit of our aquifer and to reduce polluted storm water runoff into creeks and the bay from petroleum products and tire residue (known toxins).  Paving over this area will instead create a huge heat-zone, biodiversity dead-zone, destroy the soil further, put the aquifer in jeopardy, increase air pollution from further lack of trees and destroy the dream of community green zone.

9)      South Tacoma residents already suffer from some of the highest air pollution in the nation, highest illness and mortality rates in the county and is one of the lowest-income and diverse areas of this city.  To again put this culturally, racially and socially diverse community into such a situation (raising air pollution, noise pollution, light pollution, more dangerously congested traffic and loss of green open space) is a form of environmental racism, putting the health and safety of an already marginalized community at even higher risk.

10)   This permit and all other projects/expansions should be paused until the groundwater protection district (STGPD) update and South Tacoma Economic Green Zone have been completed. An Environmental Impact Statement and separate Health Impact Assessment must also be done and permit denied.

Deliver to:  Shirley Schultz, 747 Market St # 345, Tacoma, WA 98402  -or- shirley.schultz@cityoftacoma.org

The following residents are in agreement of the above, and for their signatures to be included in public comments as opposing approval of the permit application # LU21-0125.