South Tacoma Tree Canopy Project

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the City of Tacoma’s role and what is the Department of Ecology’s role in the Bridge Point Industrial project, including permitting and mitigation?

Both the City of Tacoma and Ecology have developed individual webpages to help clarify roles and involvement in the Bridge Point Tacoma development, settlement, and mitigation work.  Follow these links to find out the details:

• City of Tacoma Bridge Industrial Warehouse Project website
• Department of Ecology Bridge Point South Tacoma Warehouse Settlement website
• City of Tacoma South Tacoma Tree Canopy Project website

Why is this tree canopy project happening in South Tacoma, specifically?

This project is made possible by the legal agreement between Bridge Point Tacoma and Ecology. The agreement provides funds to Ecology to help mitigate traffic and air quality impacts of the Bridge Point industrial development within a portion of South Tacoma known as the “Settlement Boundary.” The Settlement Boundary is defined as the area located south of Washington State Route 16, west of South Pine Street, north of South 56th Street, and east of the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center at 3510 S Mullen St.

This location includes areas of South Tacoma that may be the most impacted by the future truck traffic routes, as determined during the permitting process for Bridge Point. This project deploys green infrastructure investments directly to the neighborhood of impact, utilizing trees as air filters to mitigate these localized environmental and health impacts caused by the increase in new heavy truck traffic.

The Bridge Point Industrial and Department of Ecology Settlement Agreement specifies how the settlement funds must be used. How does this tree canopy scope of work comply with the settlement agreement?

The language in the Settlement Agreement states that one of the acceptable uses of funds is for “Other measures to maintain or improve traffic and air quality in South Tacoma, that are specifically requested by South Tacoma residents pursuant to outreach by Ecology…”

In June 2025, Ecology worked with the Voice Tacoma Creative Media community group to conduct home visits to residences along the future primary truck traffic route (along South Union Ave). This included over 100 residences. . Through these visits and surveys, Ecology collected information about how residents wanted the settlement funds to be spent. Some specific options that were supported by residents include weatherizing homes, providing air cleaners and replacement filters, and planting trees near the project site. This input was used to guide Ecology’s spending, including supporting this specific tree planting program.  While this page focuses on the City-led tree planting portions of the project, you can view the full scope of mitigation work on the Department of Ecology webpage.

Why is the City of Tacoma working with the Department of Ecology on a tree canopy enhancement program in South Tacoma?

The Department of Ecology and City of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry Program have developed a partnership to leverage each other’s strengths, existing programs, and partnerships to provide the best services to the South Tacoma Community. This partnership allows us to provide better outcomes and reduce costs associated with doing the work independently. Ecology has a well-established air quality program that specializes in parts of the scope identified in the Settlement Agreement, such as air quality monitoring and partnering with weatherization experts to help households with partial weatherization and air filtration improvements. The City of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry program has well-established tree planting programs and critical partnerships with the Tacoma Tree Foundation, Pierce Conservation District, and tree contractors to provide services such as depave and Green Blocks. Working together allows these organizations to leverage existing program resources which will reduce the amount of the Settlement Funds that would otherwise need to be used to establish new programs, partnerships, and contracts.

What is the purpose of the Interagency Agreement (IAA) between the City of Tacoma and the Washington State Department of Ecology?

An Interagency Agreement (IAA) is a formal, written contract between two government agencies that allows them to share resources, transfer funds, or collaborate on projects of mutual interest. It allows one agency (the servicing agency, Tacoma) to provide goods, services, or equipment to another (the requesting agency, Ecology) to accomplish a specific mission efficiently. The IAA allows for Ecology to use the services of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry Program to administer the tree canopy mitigation work and allows the funding to be distributed through the City to subcontractors and to purchase the materials and equipment necessary to support the program.

How was the $1.75 million project scope and budget determined?

Ecology and the City met to discuss the current urban forestry program  services the City provides to the community and discussed opportunities to meet the requirements of the Settlement Agreement, and to be responsive to the comments and recommendations received from the impacted community.

The services that fit well into this scope of work included:

• an inventory and assessment to better understand the opportunities to depave and plant trees within the impacted neighborhood,
• to provide a free tree program for streets and residential properties, and
• to build a capital project that focuses on removing pavement and planting trees and green space along the primary truck traffic corridor.

These scopes of work were then provided to the City’s subcontractors to get an estimate to perform the work. The City’s Public Works Engineering team put together a preliminary design and estimated construction costs for the capital improvements.  These estimates were used to determine the $1.75M project scope and budget.

 

Why aren't you planting in my specific part of South Tacoma through this program?

The project boundary was determined based on potential future impacts and prioritizes the areas with the highest exposure to air pollution as a result of the new heavy truck traffic (South Union Ave). While the primary investment will focus on the areas of greatest impact, the entire Settlement Boundary will be eligible for tree planting.

 

 

 

Who is paying for all these trees and construction?

This project is funded by a $1.75 million allocation from the Department of Ecology’s $8.95 million settlement with Bridge Point Tacoma. No local tax increases or City general funds are being used to support this work. Additionally, the City is contributing staff time – not paid through these funds – to manage the tree canopy enhancements in the project, as well as contributing the City’s missing link sidewalk program funds to support complete streets design in the primary truck corridor.

If the City of Tacoma already has a free street tree program, is this settlement funding paying for an already budgeted program?

The City of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry Program and the Tacoma Tree Foundation partner annually on a program called “Green Blocks”, which prioritizes one to two priority neighborhoods per year for a large community tree planting effort. The “2027 Oakland Madrona Neighborhood Green Blocks” free street tree program that will be delivered as a part of this South Tacoma Tree Canopy project is above and beyond what Tacoma has already budgeted during the term of this program. In 2026, the Green Blocks free street tree program will be in the South Tacoma neighborhood directly south of the Settlement Boundary. You can learn more about getting free trees through the 2026 South Tacoma Green Blocks program website.

How do I get a free tree for my yard, and what if I rent my home?

If you live within the designated project area, you will receive a registration postcard in the mail in summer of 2027 to request your free tree and delivery or planting assistance, if desired. If you rent your home, you can still get a tree, but the City would need your property owner’s partnership. Because consent from the abutting property owner is required before planting a street tree or removing asphalt, the Green Blocks program will provide easy-to-share info packets you can hand directly to your landlord outlining the free property value and aesthetic benefits of participation.

Will I be forced to have a tree planted on my property?

No. Participation in the Green Blocks program is 100% voluntary. No trees will be planted on private property, and no asphalt, gravel, or other pavement will be removed from your frontage, without the explicit written consent of the property owner.

Trees take time and cost money to water. Am I responsible to water my tree?

For private residential trees, ongoing watering and care is the responsibility of the homeowner. To support success, the program provides free watering bags to maximize efficiency, minimize water waste, reduce time it takes to water, and help establish the tree’s root systems. These high-efficiency watering bags typically only need to be filled just once a week during the dry season (April through September).

Who takes care of the new trees in the street medians and parklets?

All trees planted as part of the South Union Avenue capital improvements—including the new center medians, expanded sidewalk strips, and the new parklet—will be watered, monitored, and maintained by City staff or designated contractors for a full 3-year establishment period. Following this establishment period, the City will assume permanent, long-term maintenance responsibility for the medians.

Why are you removing parts of the central turn lane on South Union Avenue?

The project will only convert unused portions of the central asphalt turn lane into a planted median. Turning capacity at intersections and critical business access points will remain completely intact, while the new median will calm traffic, capture road emissions, and cool our streets for a safer and more pleasant pedestrian experience.

Are we losing community parking when the lot at South 30th Street is turned into a parklet?

he right-of-way parking lot at South 30th Street is being optimized into a pocket parklet to break up heavy industrial heat absorption. Street parking and vehicle turnarounds will be maintained on South 30th Street. This conversion swaps an underutilized patch of asphalt for community green space, complete with trees, shrubs, and public landscaping.

I'm a local business owner. Will the construction disrupt my deliveries or customer traffic?

South Union Avenue is a critical freight and commercial corridor. That’s why all construction plans go through a rigorous City traffic engineering review to ensure necessary commercial turning radii and intersection functionality remain completely intact. Construction phasing will be designed to keep access open, and project managers will engage directly with adjacent businesses before breaking ground on the medians or parklet. During the capital construction phase, the City will provide adjacent businesses with a two-week look-ahead schedule for any lane shifts and establish a direct point-of-contact for immediate troubleshooting.

When will the work actually start and finish?

The website is live and will be updated with progress throughout the project duration, including a schedule of planned activities. Field mapping begins late summer 2026, neighborhood tree distributions roll out in mid-2027, and capital right-of-way construction along South Union Avenue will conclude by December 31, 2028.

How can I become involved and stay updated on progress?

The City and Ecology are developing an engagement plan with our partners to identify the best opportunities for community involvement over the next few years. There will be many opportunities to engage during Phase 2 (Green Blocks) and Phase 3 (Capital Project and Depave). This webpage will continue to be updated with the latest information, reports, and community events, and is a great place to check in and continue to stay informed.