Maritime|253

Maritime|253 Skill Center Construction

About the project

The Maritime|253 Skills Center is being developed as part of a Port of Tacoma waterfront campus and operated by Tacoma Public Schools.

The proposed site for the project is on a piece of Port-owned property along the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway, where the Wheeler-Osgood Company mill once operated.

The project is a partnership between the Port of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools. Maritime|253 will be a regional Career and Technical Education center serving high school students from school districts throughout Pierce County, with intentional programming to prime a professional pipeline to the maritime industry bringing opportunities to more members of the community and helping fill a growing need for workers in the trades and maritime careers. The location will also be home to a new Port of Tacoma business operations center and commission chambers, along with the potential to incorporate amenities such as public walking paths and access to the Foss Waterway.

Expected opening: September 2026

This project is funded by the $535 million school construction bond voters passed in 2020.