Community Environment Government

DeMolay Sandspit open again, but another closure is coming this summer

DeMolay Sandspit on Fox Island reopened last month, but more work is planned for the waterfront park starting this summer.

The next stage is building a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant winding walkway from the parking lot to the waterfront that eliminates the steep walk that is there now. A restroom and picnic benches are also part of the next phase.

It  will require full park closure, said Brynn Grimley, Peninsula Metropolitan Park District director of operations. Work should start this summer and wrap up by the end of the year, Grimley said.

A crumbling seawall was removed and replaced with a landscaped slope. Photo by Vince Dice

“DeMolay Sandspit is a special place for our community,”Grimley said. “The (Pierce Conservation District’s) work to restore the site to a natural state with a focus on increasing forage fish habitat aligns with our stewardship priorities not only on the site, but across the district.

“Our community benefits from this by increased access to shoreline and the opportunity to connect with the natural environment — priorities we know our community wants.”

Late 2025 closure

The park was closed from August through December while the Pierce Conservation District restored the shoreline to its natural state. Work crews removed a man-made seawall and chunks of concrete that dotted the shoreline, according to the Peninsula Metropolitan Park District’s statement.

Orange temporary fencing protects new plantings at Fox Island’s Tacoma Demolay Sandspit park on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice

More than 800 feet of falling bulkhead was removed to protect the area and restore sediment processes needed for the sandspit, according to the park district. And two homes that abutted the beach were removed from Island Boulevard, which will enable the park district to continue its work this month on improving access to the park.

What remains of the shoreline restoration work are orange temporary fences erected around new native grasses and grass plantings. The park district asks visitors to stay away from the new plantings to prevent trampling the vegetation.

$3.5 million project

The parks district purchased the 5.1-acre waterfront park in 2010. The current slate of park improvements cost $3.5 million. Most of that ($2.5 million) comes from the district’s capital improvement budget, with two grants providing the balance.

The park district, formed in 2004, controls 668 acres in the unincorporated areas in Pierce County. Slightly more than three-fourths of its funding comes from tax revenues.

Native plants grow at Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit park on Fox Island on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice