Thea Foss Waterway

The Thea Foss Waterway is a planned waterfront community in downtown Tacoma, Washington that is currently under development. It will feature parks, residential areas, and office space. A public esplanade will run along the length of the waterway. 7 of the 15 development sites are either constructed or planned for redevelopment. The project is overseen by the Foss Waterway Development Authority Board (FWDA).

100 years ago, the Thea Foss Waterway was a thriving industrial center. Industry began to dwindle in the area, and by 1981, the Thea Foss Waterway was almost entirely abandoned. In 1983, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed the Thea Foss and Wheeler-Osgood waterways as part of the larger 12-acre Commencement Bay Superfund site. The final cap from the Superfund cleanup action on the Thea Foss Waterway occurred back in February 2006. [ [http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/nplpad.nsf/e144fa5b179a8a0388256365007ef6eb/06e1c0cda0d11fc285256594007559fd?OpenDocument Commencement Bay, Nearshore/Tideflats] , Environmental Protection Agency ]

Local leaders see the Thea Foss Waterway as an economic opportunity, and seek to restore it to the commercial hub that it once was.

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