Environment News

DeMolay Sandspit Park improvements on hold until next year

Peninsula Metropolitan Park District couldn’t get all its permits in time, so construction at DeMolay Sandspit Park on Fox Island will wait until next summer.

The park district previously planned to close the popular waterfront park this summer for work on upgrades, including Americans with Disabilities Act improvements. Instead, work on the 8.7-acre park won’t be completed until 2027, as some of the improvements require dry summer weather.

PenMet has not set a date for the park to close next summer, according to its announcement on social media.

“We  had to change our scope of work after our permit application was submitted,” said Brynn Grimley, PenMet Parks operations director. “We updated the scope to incorporate additional improvements that will be funded with state monies.”

Work planned for DeMolay Sandspit Park on Fox Island would improve access from the parking lot to the waterfront.

Additional improvements

Grimley said the district will use $1.07 million from the state Recreation Conservation Office to restore parts of the project it removed in 2025 because of budget constraints. Those include a lower-level restroom, flush toilets instead of  campground toilet, a paved parking lot and a larger picnic pavilion.

The park district applied for permits in December 2025. It is still waiting for approval of a Shoreline Development Permit, a septic system permit and a building permit, Grimley said.

PenMet partnered with the Pierce Conservation District to remove 845 feet of failing bulkhead and to restore and support the sand spit in 2025. Other than that, no other work has been done on the park, Grimley said.

Meanwhile, some community members remain concerned about overflow parking, particularly during the busy summer months.

Plans call for a new parking lot and additional off-street parking. But a June review of PenMet’s plans shows that Pierce County is still waiting for the park district to show it will provide enough parking spaces to ensure that on-street parking isn’t necessary.

“In my opinion, which I’ve shared with the county, they (PenMet) have underestimated the number of cars that can fit in the current lot,” said Craig McLaughlin, a Fox Island resident. “The parking issue creates a major risk to those living on the end of Bella Bella (Road) because they park in front of mailboxes, causing delivery issues, and in front of driveways as well.”

Emergency access

McLaughlin, who submitted testimony to the county regarding PenMet’s plans, also said that emergency vehicles struggle to pass when vehicles park on both sides of the street. He suggested that the county require the park district to conduct a traffic study.

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One submitted a letter in April stating that several Fox Island residents raised concerns about congestion on Bella Bella Road. The fire district does not have any enforcement powers, but is keen to maintain access for emergency response, Fire Chief Dennis Doan wrote in a letter to county planners.

The upgrades call for  a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant winding walkway from the parking lot to the waterfront. That would replace the current path and its 63-foot elevation change. A restroom and picnic benches are also part of the next phase.

The work will require the park district to cut down trees, McLaughlin said. Relevant land-use documents, including the Pierce County Master Plan and the Gig Harbor Community Plan, place a high priority on preserving tree canopies, McLaughlin said.

The parks district purchased the 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.