Bridge Industrial decision-makers,
We urge you to do the right thing and cancel plans to build a mega warehouse in the South Tacoma neighborhood of Washington state. The placement of this facility is an example of environmental racism in action.

This formerly redlined neighborhood has the highest percentage of Black residents in the City and high percentages of Hispanic and Mixed Race residents. The zip codes surrounding the 2.5 million square foot warehouse include the poorest sections of Tacoma with the worst “Health Equity” ratings.

The warehouse complex could add 10,000-12,000 new vehicle trips a day. The exhaust will pollute the air and make local residents sicker. South Tacoma already has the worst air quality, the shortest lifespans, and among the highest incidence of low birth rates and heart disease death rates in Pierce County. All these health problems are made much worse due to vehicle emissions. Diesel exhaust is the main contributor to cancer risk from air toxins. South Tacoma has been formally recognized by the Washington Dept of Ecology as being an “already overburdened community” due to pollution. On top of the health impacts, are safety concerns. These large trucks, delivery vans and cars must pass through several school zones to reach freeways or highways. Inadequate sidewalks, speeding drivers and possible collisions put our children, cyclists, people with disabilities, and the general community at risk of injury or death.

This project would mean paving over 125 acres of some of the last remaining greenspace in South Tacoma. A greenspace that currently includes several wetlands, critical habitat for wildlife, and an aquifer recharge area. This aquifer provides backup water to the City during droughts, which will happen more and more frequently in our changing climate. Paving this space means less water is absorbed into our aquifer, affecting us now and for generations to come.

While the City of Tacoma’s lax permitting requirements, disregard for resident health and safety, and outdated groundwater protection codes allowed approval of this mega warehouse with little scrutiny of the impacts, we are appealing to you, Bridge Industrial, to do the right thing and consider environmental justice.

We know this is the first time your company is placing a warehouse complex of this size in the middle of a neighborhood instead of industrial zones with direct access to freeways and away from homes. Please do not subject other communities already impacted by heavy pollution, still recovering from the harms of racist real estate redlining, or low-income communities, to this type of harm. Bridge Industrial claims to “create lasting value through sustainability” and “to drive positive community impact”. It’s not too late to embody the values your company claims.
Cancel the South Tacoma Mega Warehouse.