Last Fall Walk with DOTG Today

Join Downtown On the Go and City Club Executive Director Erik Hanberg at the final Fall Walk of the year.  The walk will begin today at 11th and Broadway in front of the historic Woolworth Building before passing through parks, historic neighborhoods and many iconic buildings.

The walking series, in which walkers met Fridays at noon, has seen nearly 200 people at its first four walks.  Each walk follows one of the walking maps created by DOTG in 2010.  The walks encourage downtown employees, residents and visitors to get out, get active and become more aware of walkable distances.

The maps are available at no cost at DOTG (950 Pacific Ave, Suite 300), many downtown businesses, or by contacting Kristina Walker, DOTG Manager, at 682-1739 or kristinaw@tacomachamber.org.

As mentioned in the Weekly Volcano.

Last Chance for Broadway Farmer's Market

The past couple of weeks have verified that Fall is really here.  With it comes the end of our favorite summer institutions - including the last day of the downtown farmer's market.  Today is forecasted to be sunny, though brisk.  What a great way to end the farmer's market season. 

After today, the Broadway Farmer's Market will likely reopen in a little over 6 months.  This means that now is the time to stock up on all that fall produce.  For more on the Broadway Market, please visit their website.

Pacific Avenue 60% Drawings Public

If you missed the open house put on by Downtown On the Go and the City of Tacoma you missed out on seeing the current design for Pacific Avenue.  Not to fear though, the City has provided us with a copy of the technical drawings.  You can view them or download them here.  Also uploaded is a copy of the presentation. 

(Please note that these are not small files - particularly the design drawings.  The hosting site does make it possible to view them without the full download though.  Please be patient with it.)

As was discussed at the meeting, the 60% stage means that the street layout has been essentially identified.  After all the feedback received on the draft 30% drawings (versions 1 through ???) the City and their consultants had plenty to review.  The City Council took all the public comment into consideration and gave direction to staff on how to move forward.

This means the big picture questions have been answered, unless there has been a major oversight.  The next stage of the project is to refine the drawings to reflect a lot of the small details: street furniture, curb elevations, specific plant locations, etc.  Answering these questions will take the project to 90% and eventually on to construction drawings that will be put out for bid.

At 60% review, the question really is, was something overlooked?  Are there specific details that should be considered going forward?

Tonight: Hood Street Corridor Open House

Tonight, the University of Washington, Tacoma is hosting an open house on the future development of the Hood Corridor.  The Corridor runs through the middle of the UWT campus with direct ties into the surrounding community.  To ensure future connections between the campus and the community a strong and inviting pathway is critical.

The architectural firms Atelier Dreiseitly + SRG Partnership will showcase some of the unique features of the Hood Corridor in an interactive display.  Visit the Joy Building Lobby any time from 3PM to 7PM to share your thoughts on the project. 

Hood Corridor Open House
10/18 @ 3PM-7PM (anytime)
1700 Block of Pacific Avenue
Joy Building (campus map)

Celebrate Downtown at the 10/21 City Center Luncheon

UPDATED 10/17/11

Ice skating, fire breathing dragons, public art installations, and kids.  Where can you find them all in one place?  At this quarter's City Center Luncheon on 10/21.  You can register here.

A quarterly event highlight what's happening in and around downtown Tacoma, each quarter the luncheon features topics important to the people who live, work and play downtown.  This quarter is focused on all the exciting events in downtown as we head into fall and winter.  The current program includes the following:

First Night 2012: Year of the Dragon
Every New Year’s Eve Tacoma hosts its own New Year’s Eve celebration.  With the year of the dragon coming upon us, this gathering of every age, color and stripe brings music & dance, fire & ice, laughter & wonder all together culminating in a midnight embrace of all that is good and right in the world.  This celebration brings together about 10,000 people from Tacoma and beyond for a full day of festivities.  Learn more about this year’s plans from Co-Director Lance Kagey.

Polar Plaza: Ice Skating Rink in Tollefson Plaza
Ice skating in public parks is often reserved for northeastern cities and our northwest imaginations – until this year.  The Tacoma Art Museum and Franciscan Health System are bringing an ice rink to Tollefson Plaza just in time for the holidays.  Cameron Fellows of the Tacoma Art Museum will share more information about how you can make your triple lutz dreams a reality.

Art is Everywhere: Art @ Work Month & Prairie Line Trail Installation
This November is Tacoma Arts Month.  This 10th anniversary edition will illustrate the city's collective talent and get people involved in the arts.  This will be an opportunity to become an active part of Tacoma's cultural life.  In addition, the Prairie Line Trail will be seeing a special installation connecting its past to the present.  The City of Tacoma's Amy McBride will be sharing more on the hundreds of activities occuring next month.

Kids in Your Business: SOTA, SAMI & Downtown Businesses
You've seen teenagers wandering the streets of downtown.  Many of them are associated with some of our downtown schools.  Now the Tacoma School of the Arts as well as the Science and Math Institute are offering businesses the opportunitiy to show selected students the other side of their business through a brief 12-day internship.  Career Counselor Michaele Sein-Ryan will talk more about this rewarding opportunity for businesses and the community.

When: Friday, October 21, 2011
Time: 11:30 (registration) 12:00-1:15 (program)
Location: Courtyard by Marriott, 1515 Commerce Street, 98402
Sponsor: Rainier Connect

To register for the luncheon visit the Chamber's website, call or email Janice Hutchins (253) 627-2175, janiceh@tacomachamber.org

Prices: $25 Members pre-paid by October 18th

           $30 Members at the door

           $35 Non-members/Walk-Ins

The Business of Business in Tacoma

There has been a lot of talk lately about economic development in Tacoma, but what does that really mean?  And who will make it happen?  City Club of Tacoma has asked Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President and CEO Tom Pierson, Columbia Bank President and CEO Melanie Dressel, and City of Tacoma Interim City Manager Rey Arellano to share their thoughts about what's next for our fair city.  Janine Terrano of Topia Technology will moderate the discussion.

City Club: The Business of Business in Tacoma
Tacoma Art Museum (1701 Pacific Avenue 98402 - map)
October 19th
11:30 - Doors
12:00 - Lunch

Pacific Avenue Design is at 60%

We've been following the progress of the Pacific Avenue redesign and planned reconstruction for a while now.  (Most recently here.)  On September 28th, Tacoma-based AHBL, the lead consultant on this phase of the project, presented information to the City of Tacoma's Environment & Public Works Committee.  We've uploaded the information from that meeting, including the drawings showing 60% design completion.

The full (2MB) presentation can be downloaded here.  Some highlights include a 3-lane road from 7th to 9th, a 4-lane road from 9th to 17th, and extra turn pockets at 11th and 13th.  In addition, there is information on parking, rain gardens, lighting, and signage.

Needless to say, there is only so much that can be gleaned from a presentation without hearing the presentation itself.  With that in mind, the City and Downtown on the Go have scheduled a public presentation to share more details on the project.  The presentation is tenatively scheduled as follows:

60% Design Drawings Update
October 20th @ 5:30PM
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce
950 Pacific Avenue 98402, Suite 300

How to get there:
Pierce Transit Commerce Street Station
Sound Transit Commerce Street Link Stop
On-Street Parking on Pacific & S. 11th

More details on the presentation will follow, but please note that this is intended as an opportunity to hear about the current street plans.  The City and the consultant have received extensive public feedback during the conceptual planning phases of this project.  They are now putting this input into action with the latest designs.

Occupy Tacoma Event Friday

Please read the link below regarding the Occupy Tacoma Walk event that is scheduled tomorrow, October 7^th.

The walking route will be along Pacific Avenue, so occupants of buildings should be aware of this event.

http://occupytacoma.org/