Tideflats Subarea Plan
The Tideflats Subarea Plan is a planning process that will establish a long-term vision for the TacomaTideflats by adopting rules for what types of industry can set up shop, how we will protect natural areas and clean up contaminated sites, and how we will prioritize funding for infrastructure investments. The City of Tacoma, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Port of Tacoma, City of Fife, and Pierce County are the governing bodies that make up the Steering Committee for the Plan, and who make decisions on how the plan moves forward.
Communities for a Healthy Bay serves on the Technical Advisory Group for the Subarea Planning process. This means we pay extra attention to this process and make recommendations to ensure that the Tideflats can be a place where clean energy facilities and manufacturing can grow, workers and nearby residents don’t get sick from toxic industry, and Tacoma transitions away from fossil fuels.
Current Status
April 2022
In April 2022, four scenarios for what the Tideflats could look like in the future – called “alternatives” – were selected to study their environmental and public health impacts. This type of study is called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Each alternative lays out different visions for the Subarea Plan, including how we prioritize habitat restoration, where housing should go, and what types of industries should be in the Tideflats – to name a few.
The draft EIS is expected to be finished by Summer of 2023. When it is released, the community can review and provide comments to ensure that what was studied is accurate and appropriate for how we want the Tideflats to be regulated and grow.
You can receive email updates from the city about the Tideflats Subarea Plan by emailing satkinson@cityoftacoma.org and simply requesting to be added to the Tideflats mailing list.