In recent years, the South Sound has seen a resurgence of sorts in the quantity of new development projects, specifically as many Seattle- and Eastside-based businesses begin migrating away from congested areas in hopes of finding a more favorable real estate market and burgeoning employment pool.

• Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma City
• Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma Dome
• Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma Washington
• Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma Wa

In fact, the construction industry accounts for nearly 7 percent of Pierce County’s jobs with more than $1.2 billion paid for construction in the county, according to Loren Cohen, managing director at MC Construction.

The Puyallup Tribe’s Emerald Queen Casino will stay closed for at least two more weeks in light of the continuing coronavirus outbreak in the state of Washington. When the Tacoma operation. A man shot and killed in a parking garage outside an Emerald Queen Casino has been identified. Ty Jenkins, 25, of Las Vegas, was fatally shot about midnight Friday in the Tacoma casino’s south.

Industries tied to these new developments run the gamut from restauranteurs to technology firms, but according to Devin Page, president of Colvos Construction, there are many trends he and his employees are seeing in the types of jobs they are being contracted for.

• Rising above Interstate 5 in Tacoma, Washington, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ glamorous new Emerald Queen Casino is about to become an entertainment mecca that will beckon drivers to experience a bit of Las Vegas, Pacific Northwest-style. The Emerald Queen’s journey to star status began as a modest bingo hall built in 1992.
• The Puyallup Tribe’s new Emerald Queen Casino just east of Interstate 5 in Tacoma will open on Monday, June 8. The day will begin with a prayer and opening ceremony at 9 a.m. After the ceremony, the casino’s doors will open exclusively for Tribal members. At noon, it will open to the general public, according to a Puyallup Tribe news release.
• New Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma to open June 8. Tribe’s long-awaited 310,000-square-foot entertainment center will open with COVID-19 precautions. The Puyallup Tribe’s new. Emerald Queen Casino at 2920 East R St. In Tacoma will open June 8. The day will begin with a prayer and opening ceremony at 9 a.m. After the ceremony, the.

“From our position as a general contractor, we’re experiencing increased demand to build multi-level self-storage, multi-family, and — most excitingly for Tacoma— adaptive re-use of underutilized masonry and industrial buildings,” Page said.

The surge in self-storage construction, Page said, correlates directly to job growth with area unemployment sitting at just 4 percent, the lowest in 18 years, allowing residents to aquire more household goods. Moreover, the rise of multi-family dwellings where square footage can be limited, also helps create a need for additional storage space.

While many of these multi-family dwellings in recent years have been larger — 150 residential units or more — Page said he is seeing a switch in market popularity favoring smaller infill and adaptive reuse properties.

“Within the last 12 to 18 months, these projects have suddenly been challenged to acquire commercial lending,” Page said. “We predict that there will be more entitled properties coming online than in recent years, given that some undercapitalized first-time developers will be unable to find the equity needed to fund construction.”

Footprint and size aren’t the only factors at play with these types of developments: many residential and commercial tenants prefer the charm that comes with older buildings.

In addition to these trends, many other big projects are in the works across the area. For examples, Absher Construction Co. is working on the 170-unit Chambers Bay Resort at Chambers Bay Golf Course, the $220 million Emerald Queen Casino project, and the massive 23-story Tacoma Convention Center Hotel in downtown Tacoma.

Cohen said his company has moved in more than 800 families to the new units at the Point Ruston development and construction is still going on with plans to complete the $58 million, 194-room Silver Cloud Hotel sometime this year.

Other projects to watch:

The Legacy in Motion Project
A 6.5-acre swath of Puyallup farm land soon will be home to a campus for Step By Step, an organization which strives to help vulnerable women and children in the community. Formerly home to the Van Lierop Bulb Farm for close to 80 years, the existing structures include a 1900s-era farm house, a 18,000-square-foot retail building and multiple barns. The largest structure is currently being renovated to allow for a job-training program and opportunities for the women the organization serves. The first phase of construction is estimated to conclude this summer. Future phases are still in the fundraising stages.

Thurston County Readiness Center
In October, the Washington National Guard broke ground on its new readiness center on Kimmie Street Southwest in Tumwater to replace aging armories in Olympia and Puyallup. The $35 million, 78,000-square-foot LEED Silver facility will be used for training Washington guardsmen from multiple units. The project, led by Pease Construction of Lakewood, will include two small vehicle storage buildings; classrooms; simulators; and a 6,000-square-foot gym, which will double as an assembly hall for the soldiers. Construction is expected to conclude by early 2021.

Mount Bay Apartments and Trax
One of the saving graces the Freighthouse Square building in Tacoma has been waiting for is finally coming to fruition in the form of commuter-friendly apartments. The first is the seven-story Mount Bay Apartments located on East 26th Street between C and D streets, designed by Erickson McGovern Architects. The 254,000-square-foot, $45 million building will include 229 residential units with a fitness center, pool, hot tub spa, dog run, garden terrace, sky lounge, barbecue area, and more. Construction is expected to begin this spring. The second will be a seven-story, 115-unit structure developed on land that was formerly owned by Pierce Transit directly across from Freighthouse Square. Construction has not yet begun, however it is rumored that the building could open by summer 2020. According to the City of Tacoma, parking will be limited and each resident will receive an ORCA transit card to encourage residents to bike or take transit.

The Preserve
Green Harbor Communities is planning a new development near Tacoma’s Blueberry Park. The 22-acre property dubbed “The Preserve” will target the least environmentally sensitive part of the property to build between 50 to 70 homes, ranging from 950 to 1,250 square feet. The community broke ground in early December and pre-leasing has already begun.

Puyallup Tribe’s New Emerald Queen Casino

Puyallup Tribal News staff writer

The sounds of construction – deep rumbles, clanks and beep-beep-beeps of heavy equipment – are happening outside the Puyallup Tribe’s new Emerald Queen Casino.

Inside the building, the noises are a little more muted – zings of drills, swishes of furniture moving furniture and spritzing of cleaning bottles.

Crews are knocking out punch list items for the Puyallup Tribe’s new 310,000-square-foot casino, which is set to open soon.

How soon? Tribal officials aren’t quite ready to give an opening date. Right now, it’s “early 2020.” As with any major construction project, equipment tests, final permits and many other details will play into the new casino’s opening day.

The Puyallup Tribal News recently took a hard hat tour of the site, led by Emerald Queen General Manager Frank Wright.

“There are very few casinos, even in Las Vegas, that are nicer than this one,” he said.

Located at 2920 East R St., Tacoma, Wash., the nearly $400 million facility boasts glamour, glitz and state-of-the-art technology. It is projected to pump $1.5 billion into the local economy during the next decade.

“The casino will be a vibrant touch to this whole city,” said Puyallup Tribal Vice Chairman Bill Sterud. “We are turning it into a tourist destination.”

The casino was designed by Cuningham Group Architecture, and general contractor Absher-Kitchell is overseeing construction. The Wenaha Group is serving as the owner’s representative.

The casino will feature:

• Five restaurants, including a small café, a fine dining restaurant, a buffet, a coffee shop, and a sports bar. The restaurants are named the Summit Sports Bar, the Riverbank Buffet, the Waterway Deli, puyaləpabš café and the Paddle Wheel Coffee & Bakery.
• Puyallup tribal member traditional and contemporary artwork, including murals, paintings and architectural elements featuring Coast Salish design.
• A 2,000-seat, 21,000-square-foot concert venue and event center.
• Environmentally friendly building elements. For example, the concrete that was used contains a recycled material that was diverted from landfills, and the building was designed to meet or beat the state’s energy code requirements. One of the biggest ways the building is reducing its carbon footprint is through its state-of-the-art HVAC system. The system is designed to take advantage of natural air flow and movements, so it removes smoke from the building without using as much energy as a traditional HVAC system.
• An enormous LED screen, visible from Interstate 5. The screen is 32 by 147 feet.
• Parking galore. In addition to a four-story parking garage attached to the casino, the tribe is building parking for an additional 700 vehicles in the adjacent 150-200-room hotel that’s under construction next door. (The hotel is set to open in mid-2020.) Both garages will have a total capacity of more than 1,300 vehicles.

Planning and infrastructure work for the Puyallup Tribe Emerald Queen Casino began 15 years ago, Wright said.

“We could have jumped in and built this casino a lot earlier but we wouldn’t have been able to build something as nice,” he said. “We stayed in a tent quite a few years and made a lot of money so we could prove to the lenders, the banks, that we had the ability to run a big operation.”

Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma City

With two locations in Fife and along Interstate 5 in Tacoma, the Emerald Queen employs nearly 2,200 people. The new casino is expected to generate about 230 more jobs, and the new hotel is expected to add 35 jobs.

Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma Dome

The new casino will replace the current Tacoma I-5 casino, which is a former bingo hall with three large adjoining tents. The Fife location will remain open.

“This is the culmination of a lot of work, of a lot of amazing people over many years,” said Puyallup Tribal Chairman David Z. Bean. “It’s the realization of their vision just to bring a first-class facility for our gamers here in the Northwest.”

Officials are planning to hold a soft opening for the tribe’s members. Council member Annette Bryan said she wants it to be a big party, to celebrate a project that involved tribal community input and involvement.

“I’m anxious to get it open,” Sterud added. “And I am proud of all of the work that has been done to reach this point.”

Puyallup Tribal member Katie Manzanares contributed to this report.

By the numbers:

$1.5 billion: The economic impact the Puyallup Tribe’s new casino is expected to bring to the area during the next decade.

$372 million: The new casino’s estimated construction cost.

310,000 square feet: The size of the new casino.

Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma Washington

21,000 square feet: The size of the new 2,000-seat event center inside the casino.

2,450: Estimated number of Emerald Queen employees, once the new casino and hotel open.

Emerald Queen Casino Construction Tacoma Wa

15 years: The amount of time it took to make the new Emerald Queen a reality.