Seaport Steel seeks to grow by 60,000 square feet and add a 1,900-foot rail spur
At a special Aug. 27 meeting, the Airway Heights Planning Commission held a public hearing for the proposed Seaport Steel expansion.
Seaport Steel intended to present their plans at the Aug. 13 Airway Heights Planning Commission meeting for expanding their existing facility, located at 1617 S. Hayden Road, with an approximately 60,000 square foot facility, and the installation of a new 1,900-foot rail spur next to the facility. The meeting was canceled due to lack of a quorum. Development Services supervisor Derrick Braaten said no comments or suggestions were submitted during the comment period.
Braaten said Seaport Steel has approached Airway Heights in the past with a proposal to expand their facility, however they backed out after the recession ended several years ago. Greater Spokane Incorporated (GSI) industry manager Stan Key is working alongside Seaport Steel and Airway Heights during the process.
Key explained that Seaport Steel approached him about where to expand. He convinced them that the Airway Heights location would be a good area.
“They’re business has increased in the Inland Northwest,” Key said. “They realized that is it easier to ship materials to other areas from the Airway Heights location than it be would from Seattle.”
Seaport Steel had to go through the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) review, as well as work with Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad (EWGR), who operates the rail on the Geiger Spur Rail Line, which is next to where the 1,900-foot spur will run.
“There were some hurdles to get through that were technical issues, but they went pretty smooth,” Key said.
Key and representatives from Seaport Steel were at the Aug. 13 meeting, however they did not attend the public hearing.
Braaten said the expansion is a low impact project. Seaport Steel owns the land and the property is currently used to store the company’s supplies.
Braaten said the facility would increase employment opportunities within the city and expand the city’s tax base.
“There’s more manufacturing, they’re smaller, but that’s more jobs,” Braaten said. “We’ve got industrial lands and transport access.”
City Manager Albert Tripp has been talking with GSI and Seaport Steel.Although there are some things to work out as far as funding is concerned, he hopes the expansion will bring more jobs to the city and help maximize usage of the Geiger Spur.
After the public hearing, the Planning Commission recommended forwarding a resolution to City Council supporting the expansion.
Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].
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