Eastside Community Center

For decades, community activists and local government officials have been working to revitalize Tacoma, Washington’s East Side—a community that long felt overlooked. Teenagers and children in particular lacked community resources and safe spaces to learn and play. To address these issues Metro Parks Tacoma dreamed big. They joined the Tacoma Housing Authority and Tacoma Public Schools to build a world-class community center designed from the ground up to meet the practical needs of the neighborhood and bring people together. The Eastside Community Center is the realization of that dream, and GeoEngineers is proud to have helped make it a reality.

GeoEngineers provided geotechnical and environmental services for the project as a consultant to project lead ARC Architects. A careful geotechnical investigation gave engineers the necessary data to make recommendations for shallow foundations, earthwork, dewatering, on-grade slabs, retaining walls and asphalt concrete paving design.

The team also walked the client through a complex environmental permitting process. Two wetlands were identified on the project site, and GeoEngineers’ environmental team carefully delineated these areas, secured necessary permits and delivered minimization and mitigation strategies to protect these natural resources and keep the project moving smoothly.

The completed 55,000 square-foot Eastside Community Center is full off creative features and educational programs for the community. The center boasts a coffee shop, classrooms, a dance studio, professional training kitchen, a music recording studio and space for Boys and Girls Club activities. Fitness is another area of emphasis, and the complex includes a large indoor pool, climbing wall, walking circuit, workout equipment and basketball court.

Approach

• Biological Permitting Support Services: During an early feasibility study for the site, GeoEngineers staff identified two wetlands which would require delineation and mitigation to offset potential impacts from the community center. Our environmental team led the wetland permitting process from start to finish and identified the required buffer zone necessary to protect the wetlands. Although the team identified the project would not impact the wetlands directly, the planned construction did affect a small portion of the required wetland buffer. GeoEngineers made construction recommendations to minimize these impacts and produced a buffer mitigation plan to offset unavoidable impacts by establishing new buffer habitat on the north side of the site. These improvements will also be monitored for long-term quality and sustainability over the next five years.
• Geotechnical Investigation: GeoEngineers reviewed available geologic data and designed an investigation program to characterize soil and groundwater conditions at the site. Contractors excavated nine test pits and GeoEngineers staff analyzed select soil samples in our accredited labs. The proposed location for the building shifted during the planning stage, so the team also performed three supplementary test pits in the southern area of the site to better understand the precise location of suitable soils and update geotechnical recommendations.
• Geotechnical Recommendations: Once the GeoEngineers team understood the site conditions, they developed detailed geotechnical recommendations for the community center and associated structures. The soil was appropriate for shallow foundations, so the team recommended continuous wall or isolated column footings. Because of the presence of fine moisture-sensitive soil, the team also recommended a set of construction strategies designed to make it easier to manage in wet conditions. In addition, our geotechnical engineers provided recommendations for the support of on-grade floor slabs, asphalt concrete pavement design, large in-ground pool, reinforced earth walls, cast-in-place retaining walls and site preparation and earthwork.
• Dewatering: The team also recommended and designed a permanent dewatering system for the base of the swimming pool, where water might collect.

Results

Thanks in part to GeoEngineers’ efficient geotechnical and environmental work, Tacoma’s East Side neighborhood now has access to a brand new, state-of-the-art, community center. The city and its partner organizations hope that the Eastside Community Center will inspire dreams—and help fulfill them—for generations to come.