Tacoma, Wash. harbor and school officials are expected to break ground in early 2025 on a 20-acre project that includes the “Maritime|253” skills center, shoreline access to the public and a new port business center.
On Nov. 19, Port of Tacoma Commissioners gave their final approval on the Port Maritime Center project on the eastern portion of Foss Waterway.
This follows Tacoma Public Schools Board’s Nov. 14 approval of the Maritime|253 skills center, a facility aimed at offering free career and technical education to Pierce County junior and senior high-school students.
Set to launch in Fall 2025 at interim sites while the permanent facility is being built, Maritime|253 programs would offer courses related to logistics, manufacturing, maritime sustainability, technology, transportation and trades skills, according to a port announcement.
The port is budgeting $150 million for its part of the project. The port and school district, which announced plans to partner on the project in 2023, are each funding their own facility. The school district is also funding part of the site development costs.
“This partnership with the Port of Tacoma opens doors to careers that students might never have considered,” Tacoma Public Schools Board President Lisa Keating said. “It’s about providing real-world skills that will serve them well beyond high school and empowering them.”
The project also includes a port business center for future commission meetings and office space for port and Northwest Seaport Alliance employees.
Environmental remediation efforts on the site are expected to start before anticipated construction in early 2025.
Tacoma Public Schools said that it expects Maritime|253 to be completed by Fall 2026, while the port projects an early 2027 opening for the port business office.
“We are transforming historically contaminated land into collaborative ground where education, innovation and opportunity can take root and thrive,” Port Commission President Kristin Ang said. “The Port Maritime Center is a once-in-a-generation investment in our community and our environment.”
