Bridge Point Tacoma 2M is the largest speculative industrial development in Pierce County history. Four buildings. 2.5 million square feet of Class A logistics space. Developed by Bridge Development Partners on the former Kaiser Aluminum smelter site in Tacoma’s Tideflats. If you’re tracking where institutional capital is deploying in the Pacific Northwest industrial market, this is the signal — and the leasing activity tells you exactly why.
The Project Scale
Bridge Point Tacoma 2M consists of four buildings ranging from approximately 400,000 to 1.1 million square feet, totaling approximately 2.5 million SF of modern logistics and distribution space. The development sits on the former Kaiser Aluminum property along the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma’s industrial Tideflats — one of the last large-scale infill development opportunities in the South Sound industrial market.
Bridge Development Partners, based in Chicago, is one of the largest private industrial developers in the United States. Their decision to deploy capital at this scale in Tacoma — on a speculative basis, meaning without pre-lease commitments for the majority of space — reflects institutional confidence in Pierce County’s industrial demand fundamentals.
Why This Site, Why Now
The former Kaiser Aluminum site offered something increasingly rare in the Puget Sound industrial market: a large contiguous parcel with industrial zoning, port proximity, rail access potential, and highway connectivity via SR-509 and I-5. After Kaiser’s smelting operations ceased, the site underwent environmental remediation to prepare it for modern industrial reuse.
The timing aligns with several demand drivers: e-commerce fulfillment requirements continuing to grow, reshoring and nearshoring trends creating new demand for West Coast distribution space, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s position as a gateway for trans-Pacific trade. Companies need large-format, modern logistics buildings close to the port — and the supply of such buildings in Pierce County has been constrained for years.
Who’s Leasing and Why
While specific tenant names on some buildings remain confidential pending formal announcements, the leasing activity at Bridge Point Tacoma 2M reflects the broader tenant profile driving Pierce County industrial demand: third-party logistics providers (3PLs) serving e-commerce fulfillment, import/distribution companies using the NWSA gateway, food and beverage distributors serving the Pacific Northwest market, and building materials/home improvement distributors.
These tenants are drawn by the combination of port proximity (containers can dray from NWSA terminals to Bridge Point in under 30 minutes), competitive lease rates relative to King County ($12-$16 NNN in Pierce versus $16-$22+ in Kent Valley/SeaTac), and the modern building specifications (36’+ clear height, extensive trailer parking, cross-dock capability) that contemporary logistics operations require.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance cargo volumes support the demand thesis: the gateway handled approximately 3.5 million TEUs in recent years, and growth projections support continued expansion of distribution operations in the adjacent industrial corridors.
Market Context
Pierce County’s industrial vacancy rate has fluctuated between 4-8% in recent years — tight enough to support new speculative development but with enough availability to accommodate growing tenants. The delivery of Bridge Point Tacoma 2M adds significant supply to the market, which has kept vacancy from dropping to the sub-3% levels that constrain economic growth.
Competing industrial markets in the region — primarily Kent Valley, Auburn, and Sumner/Puyallup — are either built out (limited large-parcel availability) or priced at premiums that push cost-sensitive logistics tenants south into Pierce County. Bridge Point’s location in the Tideflats gives it superior port access compared to inland alternatives while offering modern specs that older Tideflats buildings can’t match.
What This Means for Tacoma
A 2.5 million SF industrial development of this caliber generates hundreds of permanent jobs — warehouse workers, logistics coordinators, maintenance staff, management — plus the construction employment during build-out. The tax base expansion from assessed property values in the hundreds of millions of dollars supports municipal services and infrastructure investment.
More strategically, Bridge Point Tacoma 2M signals to the national industrial real estate community that Pierce County is a legitimate institutional-grade market. When a developer of Bridge’s caliber puts this much capital into a market on a speculative basis, other institutional investors take notice. It validates Tacoma’s position in the regional industrial hierarchy and attracts follow-on investment in supporting services, infrastructure, and additional development.
For operators already in Tacoma’s industrial ecosystem — trucking companies, freight brokers, equipment rental firms, staffing agencies, food service operators — 2.5 million SF of new logistics space means 2.5 million SF of new potential customers arriving in their market.
FAQ
How large is Bridge Point Tacoma 2M?
The development consists of four buildings totaling approximately 2.5 million square feet of Class A industrial/logistics space, making it the largest speculative industrial development in Pierce County history.
Where is Bridge Point Tacoma 2M located?
The development sits on the former Kaiser Aluminum smelter site along the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma’s Tideflats industrial district, with direct proximity to NWSA port terminals and access to SR-509 and I-5.
What are the building specifications?
The buildings feature modern Class A logistics specifications including 36’+ clear height, extensive trailer parking, cross-dock capability, and building sizes ranging from approximately 400,000 to 1.1 million square feet to accommodate various tenant requirements.
How do Pierce County industrial lease rates compare to King County?
Pierce County industrial space typically leases at $12-$16 per square foot NNN, compared to $16-$22+ in King County’s Kent Valley and SeaTac industrial markets — a significant cost advantage for logistics operators that need large-format space.
Who is Bridge Development Partners?
Bridge Development Partners is a Chicago-based firm and one of the largest private industrial real estate developers in the United States. Their decision to develop 2.5 million SF speculatively in Tacoma reflects institutional-level confidence in Pierce County’s industrial demand fundamentals.