PORT ANGELES — A wetland permit application for a proposed warehouse/distribution center on Port of Port Angeles property next to William R. Fairchild International Airport is on hold until the city receives additional information from a civil engineer.
Jessica Straits, communications and records management coordinator for the city of Port Angeles, said in an email that the Department of Community and Economic Development is requesting more information because the project did not meet Port Angeles Municipal Code for the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review and standards for wetland permits.
After the new material is reviewed, DCED will decide if the environmental impact of the project is significant and will require a formal environmental impact statement.
Although Amazon is not mentioned in the wetland permit application or the SEPA checklist, a company spokesperson confirmed its involvement in the project.
“We’re exploring the possibility of opening a small operations facility in Port Angeles,” said the spokesperson, who asked not to be named. “Nothing is finalized and we’ll share more if additional progress is made.”
According to the SEPA checklist submitted to the city, construction of the proposed 34,740-square-foot facility would run from Oct. 8 to May 8, 2025.
However, CESO, the civil engineering firm that submitted the application, can’t obtain other permits it needs for work to commence — building, stormwater, and clearing and grading permits, and approval for a building site improvement plan — until a wetland permit is approved.
CESO is working on behalf of Ambrose Property Group of Indianapolis, a company that develops Amazon properties across the country.
The 11.63-acre site for the proposed project is part of larger parcel of port property that is zoned heavy industrial. A report conducted as part of the SEPA review process identified a 2-acre category III wetland and a wooded area on the northern edge of the property.
Pavement and three stormwater management basins are planned within a 100-foot buffer zone around the wetland. A stormwater management system would direct runoff into Dry Creek.
Joseph Jorge, a CESO senior project manager, noted in the application that, “No adverse effects of the wetland is anticipated,” and “No mitigation efforts will be required, since the wetland itself is not disturbed/filled.”
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
