The Port of Tacoma Commission on March 19 approved funding to bring the Port Maritime Center project to 60% design.    

The Port Maritime Center campus will feature a new Port of Tacoma office building along with the Maritime|253 skills center, which will be built and operated by Tacoma Public Schools.    

The Port also released images of the conceptual design, which is planned on Port-owned property along the Foss Waterway across from Downtown Tacoma.  

Preliminary design concepts for the Port business office show a 60,000 square foot, two-and-half story building. The design is meant to evoke a maritime theme and complement the skills center and other architecturally noteworthy buildings in Tacoma.  

TCF Architecture/BNBuilders is the design-build team for the project.   

The Maritime|253 skills center will be in a separate building adjacent to the Port business office. The skills center will provide career and technical education to prepare students for jobs in the maritime industry. The skills center will be open to junior and senior level high school students across Pierce County at no cost.   

“This is an exciting moment as we build a new front door to the Port of Tacoma,” said Commission President Kristin Ang. “The way this project connects us to the wider community, and helps us build the workforce of the future, reflects how we’re seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”   

Architects are planning sustainable features like solar panels on the new Port building, which is expected to earn the equivalent of LEED Silver certification. The building will provide space for about 150 Port and NWSA employees and commission meeting chambers.  

The Port is also conducting a master planning process for the site, which will incorporate public amenities like walking trails, a public plaza and waterway access.   

The conceptual design follows extensive public outreach activities, including a public open house held last November. A second public open house is scheduled for May 7, 2024, at Foss Waterway Seaport from 4-6 pm.  

More information can be found at portmaritimecenter.com and maritime253.org.