PORT ANGELES — A 34,740-square-foot warehouse/distribution center that will employ 70 people next to William R. Fairchild International Airport will start construction Oct. 8, according to a wetland permit application submitted to the city of Port Angeles.
State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) documents submitted to the state Department of Ecology name Amazon.com Services as the “Project Olympic” builder, although employees and commissioners of the Port of Port Angeles, which owns the property, signed nondisclosure agreements and were unable to confirm who is behind the project.
The city’s Department of Community and Economic Development did not respond to a message left at its office.
Construction is scheduled to run through May 8, 2025, according to the permit application.
Public comment on the wetland permit application closes Friday. Comments can be emailed to the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) at ced@cityofpa.us or mailed to the DCED at 321 E. Fifth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
The vacant property is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of South Airport Road and Lauridsen Boulevard and zoned heavy industrial. Until recently, it had been used as an overflow log storage lot.
According to the permit application, the 24-hour facility will have parking for 114 employees and spaces for 63 fleet vehicles, four box trucks and 11 tractor trailers. It will generate an average of 224 vehicle trips per day, with employee activity peaking between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and fleet vehicle activity peaking between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be no more than three tractor trailer and box trucks an hour between 9:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The property is just less than 12 acres, of which 9.36 acres will be developed. Impervious surfaces will cover 5.36 acres.
A wetland delineation report prepared by PBS Engineering and Environmental in Vancouver, Wash., identifies a 2-acre category III wetland on the northern edge of the property.
In the wetland permit application it filed, CESO, a civil engineering firm in Columbus, Ohio, stated that the wetland and wooded areas of the property would not be disturbed during construction. However, it noted that pavement and three stormwater management basins are planned within the required 100-foot buffer zone around the wetlands. Stormwater would be released into an existing pipe that empties into the wetland area.
“No adverse effects of the wetland is anticipated,” CESO senior project manager Joseph Jorge wrote.
It is CESO’s understanding, Jorge wrote, that “No mitigation efforts will be required, since the wetland itself is not disturbed/filled.”
CESO is working on behalf of Ambrose Property Group of Indianapolis, a company that develops Amazon properties across the country. According to the Washington Secretary of State’s office, Ambrose registered LLCs for projects in Pasco and Wenatchee in 2023. Two Amazon distribution warehouse centers in Pasco and one in Wenatchee are scheduled to open later this year.
In addition to Port Angeles, Ambrose has filed LLCs for projects in Elma, Moses Lake and Pullman.
The port’s strategic plan includes developing industrial property at the airport. On Jan. 29, it extended a temporary license to Ambrose for access to the site for activities like geotech testing, noise analysis, traffic impact analysis, surveying and wetland assessment — all of which have been conducted.
The public notice, SEPA checklist and wetland permit application for the project can be found at cityofpa.us/145/Current-Projects-and-Plans.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
