Tacoma, October 10, 2007 -- In the first cooperative agreement of its kind in Pierce County, the Cascade Land Conservancy, the Port of Tacoma and the City of Tacoma are partnering to protect more than 31 acres of forested open space between the Tacoma Tideflats and Northeast Tacoma neighborhoods.

The property, known as Julia’s Gulch, will be purchased from Woodworth & Co., a heavy highway contractor, which owns multiple parcels in Northeast Tacoma along the steep slopes overlooking the Port of Tacoma.  Purchase price is about $2 million.

Preservation of the area along and above Marine View Drive is a very high priority for the City of Tacoma and Port of Tacoma for economic and conservation related reasons. 

The Cascade Land Conservancy views the project as an important example of the goals of The Cascade Agenda.  The Agenda calls for conserving urban green space to make communities more livable.  By creating a natural buffer to the Port of Tacoma and limiting more residential encroachment, the CLC is helping the Port to thrive without the need to adjust hours of operation and contend with incompatible use issues due to noise, lights, safety issues and residential traffic.

From an ecological standpoint, the property has a seasonal creek draining to Commencement Bay and coyotes, deer, birds and other wildlife use the gulch for nesting and as a corridor to the water and north to Dash Point State Park. 

The property will be preserved as open space through a stewardship agreement with Cascade Land Conservancy.  The agreement means that the CLC will maintain an active stewardship role on the property to preserve and enhance the conservation and habitat values of the property.

Funds for the purchase are coming from several sources, mostly from cooperation between the Port and City of Tacoma. The Port of Tacoma has almost completed restoring an $11.5 million aquatic habitat at Gog-le-hi-te II, across the tideflats from the Julia’s Gulch site. This habitat restoration is occurring on a site once used as a municipal landfill, placing most of the cleanup liability under the Washington State Model Toxics Control Act with the City of Tacoma, which operated the landfill in the 1950s and ’60s.

To pay for the cleanup, the City of Tacoma and Port of Tacoma have agreed to consider splitting costs associated with handling, removing and disposing of contaminated soil and debris at the site. The Port would pay 60 percent of the estimated $3.7 million, and the City would pay 40 percent.

The Port plans to combine the City’s $1.5 million share of the cleanup costs with an additional $500,000 from other sources to purchase Julia’s Gulch.  According to local historians, the gulch on the east side of the Tacoma tideflats was named for Julia Staney Hughes, a Puyallup-Klickitat Indian who owned the land and lived on Hylebos Creek below the gulch. She sold her property and moved to Fox Island.

“Our three organizations share a mutual interest in preserving a natural separation between the industrial Tideflats and residential areas of Northeast Tacoma,” said Lou Paulsen, the Port of Tacoma’s Senior Director of Facilities Development. “This proved to be a win for all of us—most especially for the community.”

“The Cascade Land Conservancy is pleased that it could help facilitate the conservation of this property,” said Gene Duvernoy, President, Cascade Land Conservancy.  “The property will provide an important buffer and continue its use by habitat moving toward Dash Point State Park.”

"This is an incredible opportunity for a new kind of partnership to preserve open space," said Eric Anderson, City Manager, City of Tacoma.  "This creates a model that could be used for similar partnerships in the future."

How much
$1.5 million        Port of Tacoma
$300,000           City Open Space Fund
$245,000           NOAA Coastal and Estuarine
                       Conservation Program Grant
$45,000             Stewardship endowment
$2,045,000         Total

What’s next?

The Cascade Land Conservancy board approved an agreement Oct. 9 to preserve Julia’s Gulch as forested open space in perpetuity. The Port of Tacoma Commission is scheduled to consider authorizing the agreement at its Oct. 17 meeting. The Tacoma City Council is expected to hear more about the proposal at its Oct. 16 study session and consider approving the claim settlement and agreement at its Oct. 23 meeting.

The partnership calls for the City and Port to fund a stewardship endowment, which the Cascade Land Conservancy would use to maintain the site in perpetuity. Sale of the property could close in mid-November.

Part of a larger plan

The Port of Tacoma also plans to purchase more than 40 acres north of Julia’s Gulch. The Port will set aside a small section—about seven acres—with plans to accommodate business that must relocate from the Blair Peninsula to make way for the new NYK terminal. About 44 acres of the site, however, are expected to join Julia’s Gulch as open space, bringing the total to more than 60 acres of natural habitat and buffer between the industrial tideflats and Northeast Tacoma neighborhoods.