Sound Off About Downtown Parking & Transit

Yesterday evening, Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson kicked off the first in a series of public forums where downtown stakeholders can sound off on parking and transit issues.

Anderson's format was simple and inviting--no presentation by City staff, just the opportunity to raise questions which were dutifully recorded by staffers. The City Manager will hold another series of meetings later this year to provide researched responses to the input received during this round of meetings.

Over the next six weeks, Anderson plans to continue the current series of meetings with forums scheduled in the Dome District, the Stadium District, the Hilltop, the Foss Waterway area, and around the University of Washington Tacoma.

While this ground has been covered many times before--most recently by the Parking Advisory Committee organized by stakeholders--the personal commitment of time and interest by the City Manager adds gravitas to this series of meetings. Downtown stakeholders should participate in upcoming meetings and make sure that their concerns are part of the discussion.

BIA staff posed three questions at last night's forum:

• How can the City (and other downtown stakeholders) foster better communication around parking & transit issues?
• How can the City effectively incorporate stakeholder (customer) feedback into the parking system?
• How can the City effectively encourage interagency (i.e., with other agencies) and interdepartmental (i.e., within the City) coordination to move people?