TACOMA, Wash. -- The Washington State Department of Transportation wants to build a new Amtrak Station at Freighthouse Square in Tacoma, but those plans are on hold.
Negotiations between the Freighthouse Square owner and WSDOT stalled when they couldn't agree on a price for a portion of the property.
Brian Borgelt, the owner of Freighthouse Square, said the price offer for a portion of Freighthouse Square wasn't enough to deal with the disruption of moving his clients who rent space on the property.
Now, WSDOT is trying to acquire the property through eminent domain. The uncertainty for the project has left some neighboring businesses concerned.
"If our community leaders don't get on board with supporting that, then I think we're being left behind," said Peter McNeal, who owns a truck parts business in the Dome District.
Down the street at the Celebrity Cake Studio, owner Mary Ann Quitugua wants more information about potential construction.
"When it's going to start? How long it's going to take when are the roads going to close? That way we can plan for it and prepare for it," she said.
WSDOT released the following statement:
"Should we not be able to reach resolution on Freighthouse Square, we are actively investigating options such as additional funding to supplement the time-constrained federal funding, an unstaffed stop at the platform in Tacoma, or busing passengers from the existing station to the new platform. However, most of these are not long-term solutions and do not meet the future needs of Amtrak Cascades passengers and the community, so our main goal is to resolve the negotiations if possible."
