Stadium Way Redesign Public Meeting this Wednesday!

In summer of 2011, Stadium Way will begin to take on a new design. The design will feature complete streets concepts such as wider sidewalks, bike lanes, maximized planters and lawn areas, and use of planters for filtration of storm water runoff.

Plans are close to being finalized, so use this opportunity to see them, offer feedback, and ask questions.

Event Details:
Wednesday, March 30th from 6-9pm
City of Tacoma Municipal Building, Council Chambers
747 Market St.

City of Tacoma Project Staff Contact:
Raymond van der Roest
rvanderroest@cityoftacoma.org
253-591-5055

For more info on the Stadium Way Redesign project, click here.

D to M Street Construction Update

Sound Transit continues work on the D to M Street Track and Signal Project connecting Sounder trains from Tacoma Dome Station to Lakewood. For the week of March 23-30, you can expect to see on the D-to-M Streets Track and Signal Project:

• Sewer line work continues on A Street between South 26th and South 25th. Crews will be placing concrete to create the walls for the vault structure. Crews will also begin retaining wall construction on A Street. There will be no pedestrian access on A Street between 25th and 26th Streets during this work.

• Clearing and grubbing work along the track alignment from South C Street to M Street will not require any traffic control.

• Abatement and building demolition have begun on properties now owned by Sound Transit. Buildings to be demolished this week are the former Star Fuel and Ice, former Paramount Electric Warehouse, and then the former Kings Inn Motel. Demolition will continue throughout the month. No traffic control is required for this work.

• Traffic detour work continues between Delin Street and South Tacoma Way. Crews finished installing piles for the shoring wall and began excavation for the future traffic detour that will be used during the 11-month temporary closure of Pacific Avenue. This work will require temporary lane closures on South Tacoma Way; traffic will be maintained in both directions.

• Storm drain work at the corner of South C Street and South Tacoma Way will require temporary closure of South C Street. Crews installing storm water pipe will require lane closures on South Tacoma Way. Pedestrian traffic will be rerouted to Pacific Avenue via South 25th Street during the South C Street closure. This work will continue throughout the month.

• Street improvements continue on East C Street from East 25th Street to East 26th Street. East C Street is currently scheduled to reopen in April. East D Street and Pacific Avenue will remain open as main arterials.

Congratulations to the 2011 New Tacoma Award Nominees!

Each year the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations making outstanding contributions to downtown Tacoma with New Tacoma Awards. This year the Chamber will honor New Tacoma Award nominees and winners at the City Center Luncheon on April 1st at the Pacific Grill Event Center. For more information on the program and to register for the event visit the event page on the Chamber’s website.

The 2011 New Tacoma Award Nominees are:

Schoenfeld Award Recognizing exemplary performance and pizazz as a retailer or restaurateur
- 1022 South
- The Harmon Tap Room
- The Mix
- Harmon Hub

Ghilarducci Award Recognizing successful new development, renovation or beautification
- Spaceworks Tacoma
- The Joy Building, University of Washington Tacoma
- Ben Gilbert Park

Union Station Award Recognizing leading organizations, companies or individuals that have built or sustained momentum for revitalization
- Bruce Kendall, Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County
- Go Local - Shift Happens
- Theater District Association

Popham Award Recognizing the individual that has done the most to build “community spirit”
- Tammy Blount, Greater Tacoma Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Mike Longergan, KLAY Radio
- Craig Perry, Dock Street Marina
- Emily Reiter, Business Examiner
- Mark Van Cooney, Hotel Murano

Public Places Award Recognizing the best activation of a public park, open space or area within the public right-of-way
- Spaceworks Tacoma - 2 nominations
- The Projecting Drop
- Frost Park Chalk Artists

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Chamber Seeks Metropolitan Development Director

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber is seeking a Metropolitan Development Director.

For a full job description, requirements and application details, click here.

Submit a letter of interest, writing sample (no more than two pages) and resume by email to Cathy Thompson no later than 4:00 pm on Monday, April 4, 2011.

- OR -

Mail to:

Human Resources Department
C/O Cathy Thompson
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber
P.O. Box 1933
Tacoma , WA 98401

Emergency Sewer Repairs Downtown

UPDATE:  3-25-11
TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS NEAR SOUTH 15th AND MARKET STREETS IN DOWNTOWN TACOMA ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF APRIL. THIS EXCEEDS INITIAL ESTIMATES BECAUSE EXCAVATION REVEALED THE SEWER LINES IN THIS AREA WILL REQUIRE MORE EXTENSIVE REPAIR.



UPDATE:  3-24-11
WORK WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO EARLY APRIL.  CITY STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO DIRECT TRAFFIC AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION SITE AND OPEN STREETS AS THEY CAN.

Sewer repairs near South 15th & Market will block streets for about a week.

Traffic will be diverted in the vicinity of South 15th and Market streets for about a week while crews repair a sewer main that collapsed March 15.

Traffic is expected to be closed on Market Street between South 13th Street and South 15th Street, and along South 15th Street between Fawcett Avenue and Broadway.

The estimate for the duration of this job could change as work progresses and the scope of the collapse is uncovered. The pipe in this area was installed in 1906.

New Grocer and Downtown Awards Top City Center Lunch Program

Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s quarterly City Center Luncheon is a great place to learn about new things going on downtown Tacoma. The April 1st luncheon program recognizes new businesses and developments in downtown and honors the individuals, organizations and businesses leading the revitalization of downtown Tacoma with New Tacoma Awards. Register today!

SAVE THE DATE

What: City Center Luncheon and New Tacoma Awards
When: April 1st, 2011
Time: 11:30 a.m. (registration), 12:00 p.m. (program) to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Courtyard by Marriott, Cascade Ballroom, 1515 Commerce St., Tacoma

Sponsored by Absher Construction Company

The City Center Luncheon program includes the following presentations:

The 2011 New Tacoma Awards
Each year the Chamber recognizes community leaders with New Tacoma Awards in five categories. Last year the Chamber recognized Pacific Plaza, Derek Young, Children’s Museum of Tacoma, Stan Selden, Dragonfly and Doyle’s Public House for their commitments to downtown. It’s not too late to nominate a leader! Award nominations are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on March 11, 2011. A complete description of the award categories, rules, and an on-line nomination form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2011NewTacomaAwardsNominationForm

Introducing Downtown’s Grocery Store
This summer downtown’s first grocery store in generations will open in Pacific Plaza on the corner of S.13th and Pacific Ave. The 16,000 square foot store will be a full service IGA branded grocery store that caters to office workers, residents and visitors. Join us to welcome store owners, The Meyers Group to the community and learn about their plans for this high profile new downtown business.

Downtown is Open for Business
There are many reasons to be optimistic about downtown Tacoma. For the City, the Chamber and others the many new businesses opening up and investing in downtown are at the forefront of that optimism. Bob Levin, the Director of the City’s Private Capital Division will introduce us to some of the new businesses that have recently joined our community.

What is Downtown Tacoma?
The boundaries of downtown can be elusive. Depending on who you talk to you may get a different answer about whether your business, residence or favorite shop is in the downtown. The City is working to clear up the confusion and better define the downtown boundaries. Join us to learn more.

Tacoma Art Museum Spring Preview: Norman Rockwell
This spring the Tacoma Art Museum welcomes a rare exhibition of Norman Rockwell’s iconic artworks. American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell celebrates the full range of Rockwell's artwork, including 44 paintings and 323 original Saturday Evening Post covers. Museum staff will provide a show preview.

Downtown On the Go – What’s Next?
Downtown On the Go is downtown Tacoma’s number one source for transportation-related services, resources, and programs specific to commuters, businesses, and residents. The organization is evolving with a new website (http://www.downtownonthego.org/), incentives to live close to work and a new leader at the helm. Join us to learn more about how you can take advantage of DOTG’s opportunities.

To reserve your seat at the City Center Luncheon register on line at http://www.tacomachamber.org/ or contact Cathy at the Chamber, Cathyt@tacomachamber.org, 253.627.2175

Price: $20 Ambassadors prepaid
          $25 Chamber Members prepaid
          $30 Members at the door
          $35 Non-members prepaid or at the door

It’s not too late to nominate a leader! Award nominations are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on March 11, 2011. A complete description of the award categories, rules, and an on-line nomination form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2011NewTacomaAwardsNominationForm.

Public Meeting on Proposed Electronic Billboards

You are invited to public information meetings on electronic billboards proposed to be installed in many of Tacoma’s Business Districts.

The City of Tacoma is considering revisions to the City’s billboard regulations. The proposed changes may:

• Allow installation of 10 digital billboards in exchange for the removal of 53 static billboards.

• Impact the allowed and size and locations of billboards

• Establish standards for digital billboards (brightness, hours of operation, etc)

Electronic billboards are similar in function to electronic picture frames in that the images are static and change every few seconds. The proposed electronic billboards have the ability to communicate real time emergency information. While new digital billboards would be allowed only in certain areas, the proposed changes would apply citywide and could result in the removal of existing billboards from many different areas.

There are two immediate opportunities on March 9th, 2011 to learn more about this proposal.

Meeting #1
Date: March 9th, 2011
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Location: Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, Simpson Community Room (950 Pacific Ave., Suite 300)

Meeting #2
Date: March 9th, 2011
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: City Council Chambers, Tacoma Municipal Building (747 Market Street, 1st Floor)

Next Steps
Over the next few weeks, the Planning Commission will be studying this proposal and collecting community feedback. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (747 Market St., 1st floor) before making their recommendation to the City Council, who will make the final decision. The Council is currently scheduled to make its final decision in July.

More Information
Additional information, including the complete text of the proposed revisions, the staff report, maps showing the areas where new digital billboards would be allowed and the first group of existing billboards that would be removed, and the environmental determination, is available from the Community and Economic Development Department, at all branches of the Tacoma Public Library, and on the Planning Division website: www.cityoftacoma.org/planning (click on “Billboard Regulations”)

If you have additional questions, please contact: Shirley Schultz, City of Tacoma, shirley.schultz@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5121

To RSVP for the 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. meeting please contact Chelsea Levy at the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, chelseal@tacomachamber.org, (253) 627-2175