The former Weyerhaeuser campus is going to disappear. Once this property is gone, it can never be replaced.

The architectural significance of this property should not be overlooked. It was designed by world-acclaimed architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, landscape architect Peter Walker and George Weyerhaeuser Sr. That collaboration resulted in the design of the stunning 430-acre campus. This property is deemed eligible for the National Historic Register and worthy of preservation.

The current owner, Industrial Realty Group (IRG) a California industrial developer, has submitted applications to the city of Federal Way to construct five huge warehouses on the historic campus. That will add 808 semi-truck and 4,357 passenger vehicle trips each day.

Areas will lose most of the forest, trails and open spaces; wetlands will be filled in and wildlife habitat will be destroyed for warehouses and parking lots. In the Hylobos Creek system, threatening endangered species – steelhead, chinook and bull trout.

Officials in this county, state should stand up against the kind of reckless development that cares little about the community or the historic value of the Weyerhaeuser campus and its architecture.

S.E. Petersen

Federal Way