As part of the settlement with the City of Tacoma, the City developed an estuarine shoreline wetland restoration project on the Middle Waterway within the City of Tacoma and Commencement Bay. Excavation and re-grading of the 1.85-acre vacant upland property, located adjacent to and within the southwest shore of the Waterway, created an intertidal marsh and riparian buffer bordering one of the few remaining original mudflats within Commencement Bay. The project objectives were to create new habitat, enhance existing habitat, provide buffers for both the new and existing habitat, and provide public access for education and passive recreation. The project goal is to establish estuarine marsh habitat for an assemblage of wetland dependent marine, bird and plant species. The project is across the head of Middle Waterway from and complements the Middle Waterway (Simpson/Trustees) site.
The site is composed of three adjacent parcels, designated as the City parcel, the DNR parcel, and the 11th Street right-of-way.