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Frederickson residents tell council they face tree removal, round‑the‑clock construction and truck traffic from new warehouses
Summary
Multiple residents and attendees at the Pierce County Council’s Aug. 19 in‑district meeting raised concerns about nearby warehouse construction in Frederickson, citing tree clearing, 24‑hour construction noise, trucks on neighborhood streets and uncertainty about buffers and mitigation.
Residents near the Canyon Road and 170th Avenue area told the Pierce County Council on Aug. 19 that recent industrial development has altered buffers and increased noise and truck traffic.
"They came in and did a survey a while back and they have, orange, plastic or whatever and there's a buffer there from my end of my property to that. Well now about 2 weeks ago they came in and did a survey and put them right at the end of my property," said David Retzer, who identified his home address on 170th and Canyon Road.
Why it matters: Neighbors said they were not given clear notice about tree removal, wetlands changes or the timing and hours of construction. Those concerns overlap with county decisions about permitting, mitigation and traffic routing for large industrial projects.
Several speakers described removal of trees and wetlands and said they received little direct notice. "All those trees were gone," said a resident who said she had been invited years earlier to a developer presentation and later discovered that a certified wetland adjacent to her property had been refilled and replanted with trees that will grow tall enough to block views.
Residents also raised truck traffic and safety issues. Local transportation advocates and residents said GPS routing and a shortage of designated truck parking push large trucks onto narrow residential roads and create safety risks for children and bicyclists. Dean Absher, speaking on transportation and mobility, told the council that truck routing systems designed for cars often direct trucks onto roads that cannot safely accommodate them and that the county lacks shared ownership of the truck‑parking problem.
Several speakers asked the council and county staff to provide clearer answers about what buffers and mitigation will be installed, whether tree lines or berms would remain, and why construction crews are sometimes working overnight. Council staff offered to provide contacts and follow‑up information for neighbors seeking specific construction and permitting answers.
Council context and next steps: The council did not take legislative action at the meeting; members asked staff to supply contact information so residents can get specific answers about permits, hours and mitigation. Speakers asked the county to better coordinate traffic routing, truck parking, and notification to adjacent property owners when large industrial projects are proposed.
