The Prince William Sound Economic Development District (PWSEDD) has received the green light for its new seafood processing facility project.
The organization plans to build a 4,800 square-foot facility that will support commercial salmon fishers, seaweed and oyster farmers, cottage-scale businesses, and subsistence processing of fish and game. PWSEDD’s preliminary plans show the building will not only include processing space, but also a commercial kitchen, blast-freezing, cold storage, ice supply, and refrigeration van loading.
The organization estimates the facility would cost nearly $4.7 million.
“I’m excited to see it moving forward,” Council Member Lee Collins said during the City Council’s Sept. 16 regular meeting.
PWSEDD originally requested the city dispose of the 11,000-plus square foot parcel of land in the North Fill Development Park last year. The city agreed to dispose of the property either by lease or sale in November 2025, before releasing a request for proposals (RFP) for the lot.
PWSEDD offered to lease the parcel, with an option to buy it outright after their structure is built, for $180,000.
“As we’ve heard from participants in the room and through the reading, this is a niche that doesn’t have the facility to fulfill the need,” Council Member David Zastrow said about PWSEDD’s proposal during council discussions earlier this year. “All these businesses that will take advantage of this are already existing, and something like this will provide an opportunity for them to continue doing what they’re doing, and maybe even grow a bit.”
The land is zoned specifically for marine-oriented purposes.
Mayor Kristin Smith, who is the executive director of PWSEDD, recused herself from discussing the project during the Sept. 16 meeting.
The organization has five years to complete the construction of the processing facility.
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