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Friends of Rocky Prairie
Proposed SSLC Usages
The following uses have been
proposed for the South Sound Logistics Center (SSLC):
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Sorting – The Ports would transport cargo off-loaded from ships to be
transported to the SSLC for sorting. This could
possibly include some of the hazardous substances currently regulated from
entering the Port of Olympia due to an ordinance in effect in the city of
Olympia.
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Freight Distribution – It would serve as a center to receive Port cargo,
which has been transported by trains to the Logistics Center to be sorted and
loaded on trucks for transportation to other areas. Much of this freight will
be coming from numerous overseas locations, mostly through the Port of Tacoma,
and some through the Olympia Port.
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Truck
Cargo – Freight arriving by truck at the SSLC would be transported via
rail to the Ports of Tacoma and Olympia for shipping overseas.
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Train
Assembly – The property’s long layout could allow for full trains to be
assembled, possibly more than one at a time, before traveling to their final
destinations.
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Rail
Holding Area – Trains could be held during peak mainline congestion times
until rail lines were free for usage.
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Rail
Related Activities – The remaining acres might be occupied by
rail-dependent manufacturing centers, rail maintenance, service shops, and
rail operation and rail dispatch centers.
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Manufacturing – The Port of Tacoma might lease or sell remaining acres for
development of manufacturing centers, including chemical manufacturing.
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Housing – The Port of Tacoma may use the Rural Residential area to develop
housing.
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Gravel Mining – According to the Port of Tacoma, they have procured two
permits from the Department of Natural Resource’s approval for reclamation,
which is to restore the land after the mining process, and are in process for
more. They claim to be seeking this to “retain the value” of the property. A
permit for the property was granted to former owners Citifor Inc. in January
of 2006 for gravel mining through a mitigated settlement. All of the mitigated
settlement conditions, with the possible exception of the large fund granted
for water monitoring, “ride with the land” and are still in place for any new
owners who might mine the property.
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Warehousing – The Port could construct high-cube warehousing for storage
of goods imported from overseas. The plans that were submitted by ProLogis for
the former owners, Citifor Inc., showed four huge warehouses that totaled
3,026,00 square feet and required a height variance.
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Storage of TEU’s, which are twenty-foot equivalent container units that
are 8 feet by 8 feet and hold 1,280 cubic feet of cargo. These containers come
directly off the ships at the Port and are loaded onto rail cars. The Port of
Tacoma is the 7th largest “container Port” in the US, with 2.1 million TEUs
arriving annually at the Port and an estimated 5 million annually by the year
2015.
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Municipal Solid Waste – A possible transfer facility. Essentially, a good
source of revenue.
The Ports began an 18-month
feasibility study in the summer of 2006. They have passed the 18-month period
and have not yet given the public a clear determination, though plans are
underway for the development of the South Sound Logistics Center. When they
announce their plans, development will take between 3-5 years.
Below, please see an example of TEU’s (20-foot equivalent container units.) The
Port of Tacoma is the 7th largest container Port in the US and the 6th largest
in North America.
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