Community Environment Government

PenMet announces fall closure of Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit Park

Peninsula Metropolitan Parks will close Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit Park between Sept. 22 and Nov. 30 for a shoreline restoration project.

The project involves removing up to 865 feet of failing bulkhead at the Fox Island park. Pierce Conservation District is a partner with PenMet on the restoration. 

In an announcement on its website, PenMet said the project will improve beach access and enhance habitat for forage fish, Puget Sound chinook salmon and eelgrass. 

Pierce County Conservation District will replace an old bulkhead and restore the beach.

“This project will create a healthier shoreline ecosystem that supports both wildlife and people for generations to come,” according to PenMet’s statement. 

Pierce Conservation District obtained funding from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and from the Pierce County Flood Control Zone District to pay for the work. 

The project has been in the works since at least 2021, when PenMet and the conservation district held two community meetings on Fox Island. The PenMet board authorized the project in February. 

PenMet expects to close the park again in 2026. 

The shoreline restoration work is phase I of the parks district’s master plan for DeMolay. Phase II involves accessibility and parking improvements. 

PenMet expects to close DeMolay when that work begins, “anticipated in summer-fall 2026.”