Fort Lewis Growth Overview

Mr. Tom Knight

Deputy Garrison Commander
Fort Lewis & McChord AFB Growth Workshop
9 April 2009

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 Fort Lewis
Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
2000 2009 2012-2015 Net Change
Military 19,089 30,800 32,283 +13,194
Dependents 29,015 46,816 49,070 +20,055
Totals 48,104 77,616 81,353 +33,249

2000 2008 2015 Net Change

Pierce 700,820 805,400 899,190 +198,370
Thurston 207,355 245,300 286,180 +78,825

* Multiple Sources: 2008 Washington State Population Trends Report and

2012 populations figures based on estimates found in various City
Comprehensive Land Use Plans

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 Fort Lewis, County Growth
Population Growth Comparison
(Fort Lewis, Pierce & Thurston Counties)
Neighboring City Growth
+33,249 Soldiers & (2000-2007)
Family Members

78,825

Growth Facts …
Fort Lewis’ population will increase by 33,249
Soldiers & family members by 2012.
198,370
Approximately 76% of Fort Lewis’ Soldiers and
their families, plus most all of its civilian
workforce live off post in cities throughout Pierce
and Thurston County.

Overall, Thurston County’s population will

increase 78,825, while Pierce County’s
Projected Population Gains 2000 - 2015
population will increase 198,370 by 2015 3
 Fort Lewis Population Distribution
King County
Auburn 612
Federal Way 961 1,810
Kent 768
Renton 630
3,633
Pierce County
DuPont 2,985
Lakewood 6,607
Puyallup 3,646
Spanaway 2,541
Steilacoom 1,006
Tacoma
8,895
UP 1,638
Thurston County
Lacey 2,541
Olympia 4,357
Yelm 2,211
29,466
The numbers in these
graphics include Soldiers, Not Shown on Map
LEWIS COUNTY, 389
Family Members & Civilians 14,364 MASON COUNTY. 443
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 Fort Lewis:
The Power Projection Mission

Worldwide Force Projection

- Army’s only West Coast force projection installation
- Since 2001, 77,170 have deployed through Fort Lewis
- All DOD components; Active Duty, Reserve & Guard

Third Largest Army Installation

- Fort Lewis & Yakima Training Range: 410,000 acres
- 30,800 Soldiers assigned: up ~13,000 since 2003
- About 46,816 family members: up ~19,700 since 2003

Significant National Missions

- I Corps, 3/2, 4/2 Stryker Brigades, in Iraq summer/fall
- 5/2 Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan this summer
- About 4,000 deployed now; ~19,000 Soldiers by fall

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I-5 Corridor Traffic Counts

I-5/512 Traffic Counter

This automated site tracks
north & southbound traffic.
About 150,000 vehicles
passed this point on
weekdays during 2006.

2008 Gate Use Survey

About 42,000 vehicles
enter/exit Fort Lewis
each weekday via its five
I-5 gates.

DuPont Traffic Counter

This automated site tracks
north & southbound traffic.
About 118,000 vehicles
passed this point on
weekdays during 2006.

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 Mutual Aid Agreements
Fort Lewis & DuPont firefighters
responded to this train crash in May
2007 near DuPont, Washington.
Fort Lewis has agreements with:
- DuPont, Central Pierce County, Graham,
Lacey, Olympia, Steilacoom, Yelm, Rainer,
University Place, Riverside, Sumner,
Edgewood, Roy, Bald Hills, Tacoma &
McChord AFB
- Renewing agreement with Lakewood
- Agreements will be renewed when Joint Base
Lewis-McChord becomes operational
These agreements:
- Signatories can ask for aid from each other
- Support could be to handle fires; hazardous
materials, rescue or medical
- Support is on a “No Payment/Reciprocal” basis.
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 Education Overview
Strong Partnership
Fort Lewis has an excellent working relationship with
local school districts and especially the Clover Park
School District

Five Clover Park elementary schools operate at Fort

Lewis

4,936 Clover Park School District students are

military affiliated (the district has an average student
enrollment of 11,976)

Military-Affiliated Students
About 13,000 military-affiliated students attend 16 school districts in Pierce &
Thurston County

Local school districts that track military student attendance include: Bethel (1,153);
Franklin Pierce (609), Univ. Place (220), Steilacoom (883), North Thurston (1,164) &
Yelm (313)
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 Mitigating Housing Impacts
What we’re doing
Building better housing gives military members and
their families better access to work and quality of life
programs geared to help them
On-post housing cuts need for families to sell homes
or break leases to save money during deployments

Currently, 24% of Fort Lewis’ assigned Soldiers and

families live on post because growth has happened
faster than on-post construction. (The standard is New military family housing at Fort
30%.) Lewis’ Discovery Village.

Fort Lewis/McChord Privatized Housing

951 new homes, 40 parks/play areas & 4 community centers built at Fort Lewis
2,781 homes have been or will be renovated
Original public private venture agreement called for 3,967 homes to be built at Fort
Lewis by FY12 Under the Joint Base Lewis-McChord LLC, another 608 homes will be
built at McChord by FY16
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Creating A Sustainable Community
 Transforming Fort Lewis

Before – What’s currently an empty Here’s how it may look like after it’s
field will become … transformed into Town Center housing

Before – Here’s how Pendleton Here’s how Pendleton Ave may look
Avenue looks today as it approaches as a multi-way boulevard under the
the Commissary… Town Center Concept.
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Transforming Fort Lewis

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 Joint Base Lewis-McChord
• Base services continue or expand
for everyone, managed and provided
by the Army.
• Civilian work force expected to remain
at the same level or increase.

• Operational beginning 31 Jan 2010.

• Primary goal is to preserve or
enhance warfighting missions.
• Army Joint Base Commander,
Air Force Deputy Commander.
• Units and personnel remain
assigned to their military
services and commands, and
continue separate missions.

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 Potential Fort Lewis Unit Growth
Grow the Army-related Growth Through 2012
- Transfer Expeditionary Sustainment Command
- Restructure existing units to increase manpower
- Active duty Soldier strength increase, ~1,900
- Projected family member increase, ~2,888
- Total increase, ~4,788
- Source: 2007 GTA Record of Decision

The Proposed Action also proposes stationing:

- Multi-functional Support Team, ~1,000 Soldiers
- Medium Combat Aviation Brigade, ~2,800 Soldiers & 110 helicopters
- Projected family member increase, ~5,776
- Both units would be stationed at Fort Lewis and the Yakima Training Center
- Source: Draft GTA Environmental Impact Statement

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 American Recovery & Reinvestment
Act of 2009 Funding
Funding received for 39 projects worth $60.7 million

These projects will:

- Repair roads, sidewalks, roofs, gutters, sanitary lines
- Renovate and repair buildings, small arms ranges
- Repair boiler plant stacks & install stack economizers on boiler stacks
- Replace housing area electrical distribution system
- Provide emergency power for medical data systems
- Update computer room; Medical Logistics Distribution System
- Modernize Medical Mall OB-GYN and Medical Logistics Warehouse
- Repair and modernize heat trace systems
- Replace emergency generator diesel fuel tanks and smoke detectors

No details have been publicly released regarding Military Construction funding

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