First SpaceX. Now Tesla? Rumors abound about what the Elon Musk company plans to do with its new 245,000-square-foot plant in Marysville. The city has confirmed that architectural plans have been submitted for the company to improve the site for offices and warehousing. A use plan for manufacturing or assembly activities has not been submitted.
The massive building is in the new Cascade Industrial Center. It is the first building to be constructed in the park, which has room for eight additional buildings. When completed, the industrial complex will have 5.1 million square feet of space and can employ 11,600 jobs at full buildout.
To get an idea of how big the new Tesla space is, it could house four football fields. What will fill that space is open to conjecture. The Puget Sound Business Journal initially said the building would serve as an assembly plant for Teslas. Other sources said it will serve as a staging facility for parts destined for a new factory to be built in Canada.
Supplying components for Tesla’s growing supply chain makes a lot of sense, say industry insiders. The company is in high-growth mode as it continues its efforts to maintain its leadership in the electric vehicle market. The company assembles Teslas in three countries and has expanded its footprint in the United States, including new battery production facilities.