On January 8, the Port of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools broke ground on the new Port Maritime Center project. The 20-acre facility, located on Port-owned land near downtown Tacoma, will include a new Port business office and Maritime|253 skills center. Port of Tacoma noted the Maritime|253 center will provide career and technical education for high school juniors and seniors from Pierce County, focusing on workforce needs in the trades and maritime industry.
The Port of Tacoma Commission and the Tacoma Public Schools Board approved the project in November 2024. Maritime|253 is scheduled to open in fall 2026, with interim programs starting in fall 2025. The Port business office is expected to open in spring 2027.
Maritime|253 will offer programs in manufacturing, skilled trades, maritime sustainability, transportation, technology, and logistics, a Port press release said. The programs will be free for Pierce County students.
The Port also noted that the business office will be a 60,000-square-foot, two-and-a-half-story building, featuring maritime-inspired design elements and sustainable features, including solar panels. The facility will also house Port of Tacoma and Northwest Seaport Alliance offices and meeting chambers. The project is being designed by TCF Architecture and built by BNBuilders.
