BIA Blog

Learn More about Transportation in Downtown Tacoma

2012-01-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

Downtown On the Go is presenting two transportation-related forums this February:

On Feb. 2, 2012, in partnership with Futurewise, we’ll discuss transit-oriented communities as they relate to Tacoma and the South Sound. Presenters from around the region will talk about the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Growing Transit Communities program, which has partially funded Tacoma’s South Downtown Subarea Plan and the MLK Subarea Plan. Participants in the workshop will have the opportunity to discuss and visualize how transit-communities communities can developed and how they can be beneficial to a community, its residents and its businesses. (Note: This workshop is oriented towards public officials, planners, designers, developers and community leaders, and is open to the public. A social will follow the presentation.)

Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, 2-4 p.m.
UW Tacoma, Carwein Auditorium
REGISTER today with Futurewise

On Feb. 10, 2012, DOTG will partner with Transportation Choices Coalition and the Coalition for Active Transportation to host a forum that will address the connection between public health and transportation and all of the momentum around this locally, in the legislature and nationally. A recent bill in the state legislature (HB 2370) proposes including health in the state transportation system policy goals and has brought new interested on this collaboration. The panel will be moderated by Victor Colman, Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition, and will include Representative Andy Billig, D-Spokane, Julia Walton, inova planning, and Kirsten Frandsen, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department. More information about the panelists is available on the DOTG website.

Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, Noon-1:30 p.m.
UW Tacoma, Carwein Auditorium
Register today at Transportation Choices Coalition

(Post provided by DOTG's Kristina Walker. For more information on these or other DOTG activities, please contact Kristina at 253-627-2175)

Proposed Changes to the City's Downtown Off-Street Parking Requirements

2012-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

The City Council’s Environment and Public Works Committee has been approached by the Planning Commission with an array of recommended changes to downtown’s off-street parking regulations. Proposed changes include the elimination of a minimum number of parking stalls developers must build, a cap on the number of parking stalls allowed, and limitation on new or expanded on-site surface parking lots. The many aspects of the proposed revisions could be both advantageous and harmful to the development of downtown.

The proposal recognizes that getting rid of the requirement to build a minimum number of parking stalls within new developments encourages movement to a market-based system. No minimum requirements mean that developers will not build stalls that are unnecessary for their developments. Developers will be able to tailor to the unique parking needs of each project.

However, the proposed revisions also would include implementing a maximum number of parking stalls within the IFSA and decreasing the maximum number of stalls within downtown. This moves away from the City’s original intention to create a market-based system. In comparison, the much denser Portland allows 36% more stalls than proposed by the City of Tacoma. A cap on the number of stalls would hinder developers from building the amount of parking that some tenants may require, which puts downtown Tacoma at a clear disadvantage for future development.

It is vital to recognize that the proposed amendment being brought to the City is loaded with potential. While the city is encouraging smart development with one regulation, it is limiting opportunities with another. The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed amendment on today, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, providing an opportunity to those who want to encourage the future growth and development of downtown to give their opinion.

Museums Closed this Third Thursday

2012-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

The Third Thursday of the month is typically when our downtown museums offer free admission to all comers. Unfortunately, the weather has closed all of the museums for this month's walk. Often there are numerous galleries also involved in the event. If you are still planning on attending one, I would highly recommend calling ahead of time to see if they are still open. The Artwalk website can be found here for future months: http://www.artwalktacoma.com/

Tacoma Art Museum: http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/
Washington State History Museum: http://www.washingtonhistory.org/visitus/default.aspx
Museum of Glass: http://www.museumofglass.org/
Children's Museum: http://www.playtacoma.org/

UPDATE 2: Schuster, Parking, & Transportation Updates

2012-01-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

Downtown Tacoma has a handful of access points along its eastside, where it abuts the water. Now the ice storm has claimed one of them - Schuster Parkway.

With the extensive snow piled on trees, the added weight of the ice was too much for many of the trees. Schuster Parkway is littered with broken branches and small landslide in addition to all the snow and ice. The City has closed the street until they've had a chance to clear the debris from the three lanes its currently obstructing.

We'll let you know if/when we hear more.

UPDATE:
Schuster Parkway is expected to remain closed for most of the day. According to the City, slides are continuing to occur as they are removing debris.

Also, for those who are downtown, there is no parking enforcement today due to the hazardous conditions and cars stranded in some areas of snow and ice. This should be especially helpful to those residents who park on-street and have not ventured out in the last day.

Please note that a TPD officer may still cite anyone parked hazardously - blocking traffic, crosswalks, etc. If your vehicle does become disabled, please do your best to move it out of traffic.

UPDATE 2:
The Tacoma LINK cannot stay ahead of the ongoing icing. For this reason, Sound Transit is suspending LINK service for the rest of the day. If you need to get to one end of downtown or the other, Pierce Transit busses are continuing to run on snow routes.

BIA Snow Maintenance

2012-01-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

Each year we seem to get a snowfall or two in Tacoma, but usually not quite like this. On the way in this morning I saw our BIA maintenance team working hard to keep downtown rolling for those businesses that were open. This raised the question of how does the BIA respond when the snow falls?

The BIA's first responsibility is to prevent flooding on streets. This can often happen when a stormdrain gets clogged with snow. When the crews showed up early this morning, they first went throughout the area clearing the drains. With the continuous snowfall throughout the day, they've been back clearing drains where needed.

Once the drains have been cleared, the crews have been removing snow from in front of the open retail establishments. Since there are 84-blocks within the BIA, this can take some time. As the crews move throughout downtown, they are clearing a path from the front door to the street, not the entire sidewalk. With the constant snowfall, the BIA has been trying to get salt onto the icy sidewalks as well.

The BIA is only one piece of the puzzle in keeping downtown moving during snowfall. The City, building managers, and businesses all play a role as well. This means everyone pitching in as they are able.

The BIA will be back at it early tomorrow morning after what could be another interesting night. If you see a drain causing trouble or we missed your business, please let us know and we will try and make sure we get to you.

Children's Museum Grand Opening

2012-01-13T05:55:00.000-08:00

As if the Let's Play Sports Expo didn't offer enough play time for you this weekend, the Children's Museum is also having its grand opening. This is a place full of wonder and excitement. And just as important it's open to all regardless of their finances.

I had the opportunity to visit the Museum during a preview and it was still waiting some finishing touches, the handful of kids and adults seemed to be having a great time. There were themed playscapes of Woods, Water, Voyager (pictured), Invention, and Becka's Studio. People of all ages were exploring the tree house, the 14-foot tall waterfall or riding the Voyager.

All of the playscapes these are highly interactive. For instance on the Voyager, there are removable walls, a dubwaiter between levels, an internal telephone system, pedals to flap the wings, and pedals to operate the twin "engines." This is the type of place I wish I had available to me as a child.

Now, with the signficant fundraising efforts of the Board and the comittment of the entire community, the Children's Museum is a pay-as-you-can facility. This means nobody will be turned away. If you are able to contribute, there are special benefits for members as well as several fee only programs. For example if you need an evening without the kids, the museum offers a 3-hour "Parent's Night Out" where you can drop off your wee ones and grab dinner downtown.

For more information on the great opportunities the Children's Museum holds, please visit them online at http://www.playtacoma.org/.

Metro Parks Provides Updates to Improvements of Public Access to the Waterfront

2012-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Downtown residents and visitors alike enjoy visiting the businesses, parks, and recreational facilities of Tacoma’s beautiful waterfront. The first meeting the of the new year for the Tacoma Waterfront Association, an organization that serves the Tacoma community in promotion and development of the waterfront as a premier visitor destination in the South Sound, welcomed a new Board President, Loren Cohen, and speakers on behalf of Metro Parks Tacoma, Scott Knox and Dick Ramsey.

The Metro Parks representatives provided a vote of confidence that the $84.3 million bond measure passed in 2005 has been put to good use in improving more than sixty projects for improvement and creation of Metro Parks’ sites in the Greater Tacoma Area, five in the downtown area, and nine of which are public access to the waterfront.

Enhancement of waterfront recreational areas includes the revitalization and construction of a park at the head of the Foss Waterway in Downtown. The park will be located on a portion of 7.5 acres of land on the east side jointly purchased by the City of Tacoma and Metropolitan Parks Tacoma. Improvements such as these, especially to major Tacoma tourist attractions will come with increased business to Tacoma and strengthen the local community.

Let's Play- Sports and Fitness Fest

2012-01-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

A new year means people looking to get active. Well, the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission and The Children’s Museum, YMCA, MultiCare Orthopedic, and Sports Medicine are teaming up to help out by hosting the first annual LET’S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Fest all this weekend, January 14th-16th.

Taking place in conjunction with the grand opening of the Tacoma Children’s Museum, the purpose of the three-day, multi-sport event at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center is for children and adults to participate, educate and compete in a variety of recreational sports and fitness activities, including some sports that may be new and fun to many like rugby, karate and even dragon boat racing. Hasn’t everyone wanted to test out their “karate chop” at one point in their life?

Admission is free for children 12 and under, and five non-perishable food items or $5 for age 13 and over. Events occurring throughout Saturday and Sunday will include a variety of sports tournaments; instructional clinics on fitness, health and wellness; as well as ongoing open participation physical activities for all ages. This then culminates with the 2.5k Let’s Walk on Monday Jan. 16th to deliver donated food items to the Martin Luther Kind Jr. Celebration Food Drive at the Tacoma Dome.

More information on LET’S PLAY! can be found here.

Planning South Downtown

2011-12-01T07:59:00.000-08:00

The City of Tacoma is planning for growth in the south end of Downtown. To best determine what should be anticipated, they are turning to you for guidance.

The City wants to develop a plan complementing the needs of current residents, businesses and property owners with the need to accommodate 60,000 new jobs and 70,000 more people by 2030. The south downtown area is expected to handle significant growth as up to 30 million more square feet of development could be developed.

Under this project, the City is evaluating the area bounded by South 15th Street, East D Street, I-5 and Yakima Avenue. This includes major facilities like UW Tacoma, Foss Waterway, Tacoma Dome, and Brewery District.

For more information on the project and learn how to contribute, please stop by the Carwein Auditorium on the UW Tacoma campus from 4PM-7PM, today, December 1st or contact Chelsea Levy with the City of Tacoma at clevy@cityoftacoma.org.

Third Thursday Art at Work

2011-11-17T08:15:00.001-08:00

As November zips by we are already at this month's Third Thursday Artwalk. However, with this being Art at Work Month there are a few more things on the calendar for this evening. In addition to all the great venues available by foot or the Art Bus, there are a couple of items off the beaten path that jumped out:

Final lecture/discussion of the Conversations RE: Tacoma series is titled "Uncovering Tacoma's Authenticity: What's the Draw?" Sponsored by the AIA, it promises to discuss how we can create a vision for Tacoma's future and sustain it. For more info, please visit the Conversations website. ($10, 6PM, Museum of Glass)
Madera Architectural Studio is hosting their annual small works show. While the MAE collection of local artisians is typically focused on building components and home furnishings, this show highlights scaled down works that are a bit more portable - and affordable. For more info, please visit MAE's website. (Free, 5-8PM, 2210 Court A)

For a full list of events today, and the rest of the month, head over to the Art at Work website.

Free Downtown Parking Today

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

So I've received a few questions about this already, so I figure it is worth noting: Today, November 11th is Veterans Day, a City observed holiday. This means the paystations are turned off and time limits do not apply to those spaces where holidays are excluded. (This is not all spaces, so please read the signs.)

The best resource I've seen for parking holidays is located on the side of the paystations themselves or on the City's parking website here. Scroll down to General Information for the holidays.

Regardless, have a good holiday and remember to appreciate the veterans and active duty service members in our community. A list of events can be found here.

More Wayfinding Feedback

2011-11-10T17:25:00.001-08:00

After a great open house last night, there is plenty of feedback to sort through on how to best implement wayfinding along Pacific Avenue. However, if you weren't able to make it, you still have a few days to provide feedback via this form.

If you can't access the form, please contact me at this link or simply answer the questions below:

1) Regarding vehicular wayfinding, what are your your top three priorities for destinations in each area:
a) Downtown Core
b) Downtown Theater District
c) Downtown UWT
d) Foss Waterway
e) Stadium District
f) Hilltop District
g) Dome District

2) Regarding pedestrian maps, what key locations should be identified on a kiosk at each of the following locations:
a) Pacific Avenue & South 9th Street (SW corner)
b) Pacific Avenue & South 12th Street (West side)
c) Pacific Avenue & South 17th Street (NW corner)

3) Any additional input for future phases of wayfinding in Tacoma?

Once you've got some answers, please send them to Sue O'Neill at the City, Patricia Lecy-Davis at Go Local, and/or David Schroedel at the BIA/Chamber. If you're feeling extra daring, you could share your thoughts with the world by posting them below. If you are trying to figure out what this is about, please visit our prior post on the subject.

Prairie Line Trail Public Art Tour

2011-11-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, November 12th, at 2PM the Tacoma Arts Commission will be leading a 90-minute tour of the Prairie Line Trail. This will be a great opportunity to learn about the significance and future of the Trail while enjoying a series of public art interventions.

Before the Prairie Line Trail followed Hood Street as it does today, it was the western terminus for the Northern Pacific Railroad's transcontinental line (beating out other notable northwest cities). Today the City is discussing how to best retain this piece of history while integrating it with modern uses (previously discussed here). In addition, the City is looking at ways to build a non-motorized trail connecting the Water Ditch Trail through south downtown to and onto the Thea Foss Waterway.

(more below)

For this weekend's tour, a number of artists will be installing works along the trail, including Thoughtbarn's Ghost Prairie seen above. Other artists include:
-Jennifer Adams
-Kyle Dillehay
-Kristin Giordano
-Jeremy Gregory
-Diane Hansen
-Christopher Jordan
-Lance Kagey
-Lisa Kinoshita
-Ed Kroupa
-Bret Lyon
-Janet Marcavage
-Maria Meneses
-Nicholas Nyland
-Chandler O'Leary
-Elise Richman
-Claudia Riedener
-Holly Senn
-Chris Sharp
-James Grayson Sinding
-Kenji Stoll

The tour will start at Tollefson Plaza and will end with a "warm-up" in Thoughtbarn's temporary studio at 1720 Pacific Avenue. For more on the Tour and other events during Art at Work Month, please visit the Art At Work website. For more on the Ghost Prairie installation, please visit the Spaceworks blog.

Be Downtown Campaign

2011-11-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our Tacoma LINK is all dressed up for the holidays (though the action photo above doesn't do it justice). In addition to the LINK makeover, there is a larger campaign to encourage customers to "Eat. Shop. Do. Skate." downtown. This is part of Sound Transit's mitigation work associated with the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue as the Sounder commuter rail looks to expand.

(more below...)

The Be Downtown Campaign has its very own website with links to some of the activities happening downtown this holiday season. For more shopping options, please visit the Downtown Merchants Group website. In addition, the Tacoma+ maps now have an added bonus: Bring in a receipt from any business in the Tacoma+ map and receive a free skate rental at the Franciscan Polar Plaza. For more on the Tacoma+ map, please see contributor Hemisphere Design, a recent TNT article, or stop by many local shops or the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a copy.

While it's great to see Sound Transit contributing to increased vibrancy and encouraging the local economy, everyone will breath a collective sigh of relief when the road contstruction work at the south end of downtown is complete. The closure of Pacific Avenue is expected to continue until the middle of 2012 with project completion in late 2012. Sound Transit's project page is here for more details.

Wayfinding Open House 11/9: Pacific Avenue & Beyond

2011-11-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of discussion about the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project and the reconfiguration of the street (most recently here). However, this project also includes a consideration of wayfinding to and around downtown and beyond.

Next Wednesday, November 9th, the City of Tacoma, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and Go Local will co-host a wayfinding open house from 5 to 6PM at the Chamber's offices (950 Pacific Avenue, 3rd Flr, 98402). If you stop by any time during the open house, you can see current designs and provide feedback on visitor destinations and information for wayfinding signage and kiosks.

If you're curious about wayfinding, with a feeling that we've talked about this before, you'd be right. While the conversation certainly goes beyond the life of this blog (& blogs in general) a quick primer on wayfinding within the BIA can be found in this post from over five years ago.

Focusing on helping people not familiar with downtown and Tacoma in general, what destinations do you send visitors to? How do you give people directions to get there? How do we better connect destinations, not only with signage, but also with design and infrastructure? These are all big questions that allow us to attract and serve visitors better and deserve an appropriate level of thinking.

What: Wayfinding Open House
Where: Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, 950 Pacific Avenue 98402, 3rd Flr
When: November 9, anytime 5-6PM
Why: Gain feedback on key visitor destinations/information for wayfinding signage & kiosks.
More: www.cityoftacoma.org/pacave or Sue O'Neill at 591-5789 / soneill@cityoftacoma.org

9th Street Construction: To Be Continued...

2011-11-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

We received word that the South 9th Street construction project (most recently mentioned here) will not be completed this year. Rather than work through the holidays, the project will be shut down by November 10th - just in time for Veterans Day - and will not be reopened until late February, 2012.

In the meantime, there will be some minor work for a couple more weeks as the construction team works to address a newly discovered underground oil tank at the corner of South 9th and Market. This should be wrapped up by November 18th.

Finally, there is the issue of Court C. Part of this project involved reversing direction on Court C between 9th and 11th from one way southbound to one way northbound. This is currently scheduled to occur on November 8th and 9th. Please be aware of traffic that may be going in the wrong direction in the weeks following. (I still see people going the wrong way on the 700 block of St. Helens.)

Last Fall Walk with DOTG Today

2011-10-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

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%

2011-10-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

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/

Walking Downtown

2011-09-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you living, working or playing in downtown Tacoma, you probably know how to get to and from your destinations, but what about the spaces in between? On Friday, The News Tribune featured an article on some of those in-between spaces that should be destinations on their own.

The article focuses on the walks around downtown promoted by Downtown On The Go and their series of walking maps. Partnering with Multicare, the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau, Pacific Lutheran University, and the City of Tacoma's Office of Sustainability, Downtown On The Go produced a series of five walking maps covering most parts of downtown. The article goes beyond the history included in the maps to tell some additional downtown stories.

The maps themselves each cover a route about 40-50 minutes long while including a series of highlights along the path. At under an hour, any of them can be completed during a lunch hour. The five maps currently available include:

-Downtown to Hilltop

-Brewery District to South Downtown

-North Waterfront to Theatre District

-South Waterfront to Tacoma Dome Station

-Wright Park to Stadium District

Electronic copies of these maps can be found at Downtown On The Go's "Walk Tacoma" page. Hard copies can be obtained by contacting Kristina Walker, Downtown On The Go Manager, at kristinaw@tacomachamber.org or 253.682.1739.

Downtown Park Construction

2011-09-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

(parkingday.org)

Throughout downtown Tacoma there are a number of tiny parks under construction. This unified effort is not funded by the City or a specific entity, but is a concentrated attempt to rethink how we use our public urban spaces as part of PARK(ing) Day.

PARK(ing) Day is a an annual, worldwide event that invites citizens to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks. Here in Tacoma, a number of businesses and non-profits have decided to participate by creating their own park for a day. If you are wondering where the park nearest you will be found, please visit the Tacoma PARK(ing) Day Google Map. If you are nervous about venturing into these parks on your own, please join Downtown On The Go on a 1-hour park tour beginning at 12-noon in front of the UWT Bookstore at 1754 Pacific Avenue, 98402.

For more information on PARK(ing) Day here in Tacoma, please visit Downtown On The Go.

9th Street Design Drawings Available

2011-09-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Based on some questions we were getting, including those here, we asked around a bit and came up with the site plan for the improvements on South 9th Street. The City of Tacoma was very helpful in providing these and we've put them online here.

Of note, this is mostly a resurfacing of the street combined with sidewalk replacement. During the process, the City is adding bulbouts to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians, improving crosswalks, adding accessible curb ramps, and some minor relocation/improvements along the street. The majority of this work is planned for the south side of the road (adjacent to the Pantages & Rialto) as the north side saw significant improvement with the Broadway LID.

The improvements are nowhere near the scale of those taken on around the corner as part of the Broadway LID. This is why the construction can be scheduled to be complete in only two months. This is also why you will not see street furniture such as benches or lighting included in the site plans.

S.12th LINK Stop is Now Open

2011-09-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

As of today, the new LINK stop between S. 11th & S. 13th is officially open. This stop fills a hole in the downtown LINK system that has been noted since the system went live in 2003. Today virtually all businesses within the BIA area are less than a 5-minute walk from a LINK stop.

The S. 12th Street stop adds major downtown buildings to this list like the Wells Fargo Building, the Tacoma Financial Center, and the Commerce Building - where the BIA is housed. As Chamber President & CEO Tom Pierson said, "The additional stop will connect people to businesses and keep feet on the street." With the Tacoma LINK already carrying over 3,000 riders a day, we look forward to this stop allowing even more people to enjoy all that downtown has to offer.

As the transportation advocate for downtown Tacoma, Downtown on The Go will host a dedication ceremony at the new stop at 2PM on September 29th. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sound Transit press release: http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/Commerce-Street-Station-opens-tomorrow.xml

9th Street Improvements: Updated Schedule

2011-09-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't noticed, the South 9th Street construction project has been delayed. While this is not uncommon for construction projects, the impact of this project on downtown businesses is significant. Thankfully the delay is not long and construction will resume later this week.

The City notes that traffic control devices, including alternative pedestrian routes, will be installed today. With the Farmers Market adding traffic to the street, removal of the sidewalks will not begin until Friday. Cosntruction work may continue Mondays through Saturdays, conditions permitting.

Construction will begin with curb/gutter/sidewalk replacement and generally run from Commerce Street up the hill to Market Street. Once this work is done, about 1 month, street work will begin. The entire project is still scheduled to wrap up no later than November 10th.

Prior post: http://tacomadowntown.blogspot.com/2011/09/construction-on-so-9th-starts-monday.html

Construction on So. 9th Starts Monday

2011-09-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

The South 9th Street Improvement Project, which runs between Commerce Street and Market Street in Downtown Tacoma is scheduled to start Sept. 12.

The project includes removing and replacing the concrete panels in the street and sidewalk as well as construction of bulb outs and crosswalks. Construction will require the contractor to close two of the four lanes on 9th Street. The remaining two lanes will provide one-lane of travel in each direction.

Pedestrian safety and mobility will be improved with new ramps and bulb outs at Court C, between Broadway and Market Street, and at South 9th Street. These improvements will require a change in traffic direction on Court C from one-way southbound to one-way northbound between South 9th and South 11th streets.

Work in this area will take place between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 10, 2011. Weather and unknown site conditions may impact the schedule.

For more information, visit the project website.

South 13th Street Completed

2011-08-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last week we noted the improvements to S. 13th St. between A and Pacific, but also the lingering presence of construction materials. This week we saw the work wrapped up, materials returned to their warehouses, and a new west bound lane opened on S. 13th.

Several years ago, the City undertook a study evaluating the impacts of one way streets throughout downtown and the impacts on mobility and the economy. The message was clear: In a city Tacoma's size, one way routes result in more cars circling, confusion of visitors, and higher costs of doing business. Since that time, the City has slowly converted more and more of its downtown roads to accomodate two way traffic. (For those who may not remember, S. 13th St. used to be one way eastbound for much of its length through downtown.)

With S. 13th St. having a westbound lane for its full length this will allow drivers leaving I-705 at the ability to drive straight up 13th to their destination without extra circling. As BIA Maintenance Supervisor, Jim Burgess, noted this morning, "It was really nice. I came off the freeway, got the light at 13th and Pacific and was at the shop in no time."

Streetscape Improvements

2011-08-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

With all the focus on the redesign of Pacific Avenue, you may have missed an important improvement elsewhere in downtown - the repair & reopening of South 13th Street.

A section of South 13th Street between Court A and Pacific Avenue began to sink into the underground parking garage some time ago. This resulted in the closure of the sidewalk and one lane of S. 13th St. on the south side of the road.

After several days of cranes and construction crews the structure has been reinforced, the road lifted & the sidewalk repaired the space has reopened to traffic. This should ease the daily back-up of commuters headed to the freeway down South 13th Street.

While the repair construction may be complete & the road open, the construction signage has simply been pushed to the side rather than entirely removed. We will be looking forward to what improvements are next at this location.

Grand Opening: Downtown Tacoma’s Newest Bicycle Infrastructure

2011-08-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011 at 8 a.m., Downtown On the Go and the City of Tacoma will be officially opening their Bike Cage in Park Plaza North Garage (923 Commerce) with a ribbon cutting and grand opening. The public is encouraged to attend.

Tacoma’s newest bike parking, the Park Plaza North Bike Cage, is conveniently located on the 5th floor of the garage, directly across from the skybridge to Broadway. Designed to remove barriers to bicycle commuting by providing a secure area to store bicycles, the bike cage was a collaboration of Downtown On the Go and City of Tacoma staff. Early studies found that many offices in downtown do not allow bicycles to sit in offices and do not provide bicycle parking, yet there are many downtown employees who like to commute by bike.

“Having options for potential bicycle commuters is crucial to increasing the number of cyclists downtown. And the more cyclists on the streets, the less cars, which means, less congestion. It’s a win-win for everyone,” says downtown business owner Judi Hyman of TwoKoi Restaurant and Chair of Downtown On the Go. Both the city and Downtown On the Go would like to install additional bicycle parking facilities if the demand is there for this one.

Those interested in using the cage can sign up with Downtown On the Go by downloading a form from the Downtown On the Go website, picking one up at the Grand Opening on Aug. 30 or by visiting Downtown On the Go (950 Pacific Ave, Suite 300, Tacoma, WA 98402). The cost of the cage is $8 per quarter or $25 per year. Users will receive a quarterly code and will be able to lock bikes to the bike racks at any time.

Contact Kristina Walker, Downtown On the Go Manager, 253-682-1739, for more information. Photos of the Bike Cage are available for viewing at the Downtown On the Go Facebook page.

Downtown Block Party

2011-08-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the couple thousand door hangers, the blog posts, or the teasers, this is one last reminder about the free Downtown Block Party planned for tomorrow from 5-10PM on Opera Alley. (For the unfamiliar, Opera Alley is the portion of Court C lying between St. Helens Avenue and South 7th Street in the heart of the Theater District.)

The Downtown Tacoma Neighbors describes the event as "giving attendees the chance to feel what it would be like to make their neighborhood a better place by working collaboratively and creatively...It will be hard for them to leave at the end of the night without a sense of inspiration to think outside-the-box about their own neighborhood."

With activities ranging from board games to wall ball to duct tape art there is bound to be something for everyone. For more details on the event, activities and participants, please visit the Downtown Tacoma Neighbors' website.

City Acquires $1M For Pacific

2011-08-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

The News Tribune reported earlier this week that another $978,300 has been allocated to the renovation of Pacific Avenue. This brings total funds available to a little over $5M of the $8M needed to complete the project.

As the City continues to work towards a final design, concerns continue to be raised about how to accomodate all users of Tacoma's "Main Street." The City is challenged to balance the needs of drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit while still maintaining an attractive street and integrating innovative stormwater features.

For more information on the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project, please visit the City of Tacoma's page for the project here.

City Manager Priorities

2011-08-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

The City of Tacoma is asking for feedback from people throughout the City about the next City Manager. Specifically, they want to know priorities, goals, personality, & management style.

To take part in the survey and influence the beginning of the search, please visit the City's survey site at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/citymanagersearch

Homebuying Downtown

2011-08-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported on a study by Fiserv identifying Tacoma as the best place to buy a home over the next two years:

"Despite the gloomy picture for the national economy and housing market, residents of [Tacoma], on Washington's Puget Sound, are in for a 25% increase in home prices by spring 2013...David Stiff, Fistserv's chief economist, says cities like Tacoma and Seattle have strong, diverse economies and should fare well over the next two years."

In addition to the prospect of increasing property values, Downtown On The Go has developed additional buyer incentives that could reduce the cost of buying downtown by several thousand dollars by partnering with businesses providing reduced closing costs and down payment assistance.

If owning a home isn't right for you, Downtown On The Go's "Live Downtown" program has also teamed with rental properties offering discounted rents of $100-200 per month.

Visit Downtown On The Go's website for more information on these great opportunities.

UPDATE (3:30PM):
Also of note, the Puget Sound Business Journal just reported that "mortgage rates fell to new lows this week. Freddie Mac says a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to an average of 4.32 percent."

SB I-705 to Close

2011-08-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Southbound I-705 (onto I-5) will close around S. 11th St. every evening from 8PM until 6AM the next morning from Monday, August 15th through Friday, August 19th.

This means southbound traffic from Schuster Parkway, Stadium Way and the 9th Street on-ramps will be re-routed onto Pacific Avenue and onto I-705 via the South 13th Street on-ramps.

The closure is intended to allow work to continue on the Murray Morgan Bridge. To re-open the bridge to vehicular traffic, construction will continue through 2012.

For more information on the Murary Morgan Bridge Rehabilitation Project, please visit the City of Tacoma's website.

Saturday at Tollefson Plaza

2011-08-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

This Saturday will be a busy for Tollefson Plaza with shuttles arriving at 5:15AM to take participants to the start of the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon in Gig Harbor. With the race starting at 7:30AM, the winners will likely be returning to Tollefson a little over an hour later while some of the 1,000+ participants will take four hours. Don't be surprised to see runners coming down Jefferson from Center Street in the early hours.

A few hours later, at 12-noon, the Tacoma Convention Center will open its doors to the public for General John M. Shalikasvili's Memorial Service. The service for the former Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff (1993-1997) will begin at 1PM and is expected to draw 1,700 people including several dignitaries.

Before the service is completed, Tollefson Plaza will see James Grayson Sinding's interactive art installation "Words" delivered. At 2PM, refrigerator-magnet-style words will be dumped into the plaza allowing the public to create their own pithy plaza poetry. Across the street, the Tacoma Art Museum will be celebrating with free admission all day.

With all of this attention to the area, it will be a big day for the Plaza. Don't be suprised if the surrounding blocks seem to have a few more people, cars and closures. Hopefully, you can take part in one or more of the festivities and enjoy a Saturday downtown.

For more information on the above events, please see:
-Tacoma-Narrows Half-Marathon
-General John Shalikashvili Memorial Service
-"Words"

National Farmers Market Week

2011-08-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

With the sun shining, you're probably looking for a place to have lunch outside or even take a break and do some shopping. Why not visit the Broadway Farmers Market this week during National Farmers Market Week?

Come one, come all. We're celebrating! The Tacoma Farmers Market is honoring healthy food, economic value and community importance of shopping local. Want to see what the hype is about, organic or natural? Well gather the family and meet a farmer today. Also, enjoy an open mic with a performance by Billy Farmer!

For more information on the Broadway Farmers Market, including a list of vendors, please visit them online.

Thursdays, including 8/4

10:30 - 4PM
900 Broadway; 98402

Water Improvements at 9th and Broadway

2011-07-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Water will be replacing 36 feet of 16” CI water main that runs north-south in Broadway at the intersection of S. 9th St (See map). This work will likely affect both East bound lanes of S. 9th St. as well as the parking and sidewalk on that side also. This work will be done by Tacoma Water crews during normal business hours and is anticipated to take place in the next couple of weeks and should only impact S. 9th St. for a couple of days. Tacoma Water crews will maintain through traffic during construction using flaggers. Access to St. Helen's for cyclists will remain open.

Walk Tacoma/Walk Poetic

2011-07-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

Join the Tacoma Twilight Criterium

2011-07-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Businesses Remain Open During Construction

2011-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Business owners surpass the construction’s disruptions to keep their businesses open to the people of Tacoma.

Construction workers in bright, yellow helmets roam the streets of South 25th and South 27th Street. Large cranes plow and transport enormous amounts of debris from one location to the other. Bright, diamond-shaped, orange signs read ‘detour’ and ‘sidewalk closed’.

In June, Pacific Avenue closed between South 25th Street and South 27th Street for an 11-month construction, D-to-M Street Project. This project will bring streets to new grades and construct an overpass that will allow the Sounder Train to extend service to Lakewood. Detour routes are available and, in order to keep South Tacoma Way traffic moving, Sound Transit built a special bypass road.

Although the construction expects to continue through May 2011, businesses remain open. The businesses affected by the construction, such as: Freighthouse Square, Alfred’s Café, Celebrity Cake Studio, The Melting Pot, Crystal Voyage, Stanley & Seaforts, and the Tacoma Dome want the community to know that they are open for business.

Find information and detour maps online on Sound Transit’s D-M Street Project page.

Planter Basket Repairs

2011-06-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

The City of Tacoma’s Streets and Grounds will be repairing the planter baskets that are currently hanging on Pacific Avenue and A Street. The baskets will be removed by the vendor and may remain down for a week or two before they are all repaired and returned to their proper places. The repairs will include replacing the wire hangers which have become a safety concern as they are too lightweight, are stretching and in some cases breaking.

Questions can be directed to Rob McNair-Huff, City of Tacoma Community Relations Manager, at 253-591-5054.

D-to-M Project Moves Forward - Pacific Avenue Closure Begins Next Week

2011-06-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

The week of June 6 marks the beginning of an 11-month closure of Pacific Avenue to bring streets to new grades and construct an overpass that will allow the Sounder Train to extend service to Lakewood. The closure will affect Pacific Avenue between South 25th Street and South 27th Street.

To minimize disruption to the community, Sound Transit is building a special bypass road to keep South Tacoma Way traffic moving, installing temporary signalization to improve traffic flow, making road improvements to new detour routes, communicating with the public about traffic impacts, and constantly working to efficiently complete the required Pacific Avenue work.

For more information on the project, detour routes, or to sign up to receive notices, please visit the D-to-M Streets Project Page.

9th Street Improvement Project

2011-05-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

The 9th Street Improvement Project in downtown Tacoma will improve intersections for pedestrian travel at the intersections of South 9th Street at Broadway, St Helens and Market streets. Design will include all current ADA standards. Work will include new cement concrete sidewalks, concrete crossings, curb and gutter, and street reconstruction work.

The city met with the public in May to gather feedback about the scheduling, sequencing and detour routes for the improvement project. Construction is scheduled to start this July.

Project Schedule:
Advertise: May 2011
Construction Start: July 2011
Project Completion: October 2011

For more information contact: Dan Soderlind, Project Engineer at 253‐591‐5263 or dsoderli@cityoftacoma.org.

Freighthouse Square Train Extravaganza and Sound Transit Open House

2011-05-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Date: May 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday)

Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Location: Freighthouse Square (2501 East D Street, Tacoma 98421)

Train fans, you won’t want to miss a weekend of train-related events in Tacoma! From special tours of a modern Sounder train to excursions on a restored vintage steam engine train to model train layouts, there’s something fun planned for the whole family! Sound Transit is partnering with the Tacoma Northwestern Model Railroad Show & Swap Meet, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, and Freighthouse Square to put on this exciting community event.

Please see the website for additional schedule and admission information.

http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/Calendar/Freighthouse-Square-51411.xml

Record Number of Attendees at Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center

2011-05-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center (GTCTC) welcomes three major conventions in May, resulting in record numbers for the GTCTC: The Infant and Early Childhood Conference, Washington Education Association and the Boeing Company. Along with other events held in between these groups, the economic impact to the local community is estimated to be over $2,361,000. With the exception of two, one-day meetings, all of the events will take place within the first twenty-two days of May.

The total attendance for all events in May will be over 17,030. This will result in more than 4,375 guest room nights for Tacoma area hotels.

Local businesses are encouraged to welcome attendees into their establishments by printing welcome signs which are always available on the GTCTC's website, gtctc.org, by selecting the Resource tab, then Media Newsroom page.

For more information, contact the GTCTC at 1-888-227-3705 or online at gtctc.org or facebook.com/gtctc.

Pacific Avenue Streetscape Design Project ~ Open House on May 9th

2011-04-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for the Pacific Ave Streetscape Design Project Open House on Monday, May 9th from 4-6:00pm at UW Tacoma's Philip Hall. At this Open House, the public will be able to give feedback on the preliminary designs for the future streetscape. Construction is estimated to start sometime in early 2012 and conclude at the end of 2012.

Full information regarding the project, including a fact sheet, project description and schedule, and community involvement efforts can be found by clicking here.

100th Anniversary Celebration of Tacoma's Union Station

2011-04-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, May 1st join the City of Tacoma and the U.S. General Services Administration in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Tacoma's Union Station.

"New Beginnings," the statue in front of Union Station, depicts a newly arrived prospective citizen with carpetbags at his side and was a gift from the Chamber to the city to celebrate the Chamber's centennial (in 1984). The statue portrays the optimism evident in Tacoma's early town builders and entrepreneurs.

The 100th Anniversary events include an anniversary ceremony featuring many esteemed speakers (e.g. Deputy Mayor Walker & Congressman Norm Dicks) and panel discussions about railroads, revitalization, and diversity.

EVENT DETAILS:

Union Station 100th Anniversary Ceremony
Sunday, May 1st, 2011 @ Union Station Rotunda
Doors open @ Noon (attendees encouraged to arrive early; government photo id required)
Event begins @ 1pm

Several other events are planned in Tacoma on May 1st and parking will be extremely limited, so consider taking the bus! Pierce Transit's Bus Routes 1, 11, 13, 41, 42, 53, 500, and 501 all stop within walking distance of Tacoma Union Station.

Spaceworks Spring Opening

2011-04-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Clear your calendar for the Thursday, April 21st Third Thursday Art Walk, when artists Jeremy Gregory and Chris Sharp host the Spaceworks Tacoma spring kick-off party at their studio at 904 Broadway (across from the Pantages) at 5-7pm.

Meet these and other Spaceworks artists and take a tour of Chris and Jeremy’s awesome painting studio, which features works-in-progress, and a skateboard quarter-pipe for stress relief. Then, start your art walk to see all the amazing new Artscapes projects energizing the neighborhood.

For more details on this Thursday's event, check out the Spaceworks site: spaceworkstacoma.wordpress.com

Spaceworks Tacoma is a joint initiative of the City of Tacoma, Shunpike and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. The project is designed to activate empty storefronts in downtown Tacoma with art and creative enterprise.

Pierce Transit System Reduction Public Hearing Comes to Downtown this Thursday!

2011-04-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Attend the Thursday, April 21st Pierce Transit System Reduction public hearing in downtown Tacoma to weigh in on how PT implements 35% reductions before they are adopted at the May 9th Board of Commissioners meeting. Be sure to advocate for the maintenance of as much service as possible to the most populous city in the county (and especially downtown)!

EVENT DETAILS:

Thursday, April 21 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Tacoma Municipal Building - Council Chambers

747 Market St

To view the proposed reductions as well as information on two additional public hearings – Puyallup/South Hill (April 25th) and East Pierce County (April 28th) – click here.

Broadway Center Recruits "Voices of the City"

2011-04-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Nominations are due April 21st for "Voices of the City", a civic engagement opportunity offered by the Broadway Center for Performing Arts. Applicants with diverse perspectives on Tacoma and deep connections to the community are encouraged.

Once selected, this group of participants (20 max) will engage in workshops that will help them to develop the presentation of their stories in whatever way inspires them - music, movement, text, visual art, etc. Stories will be shared at the Broadway Center's Community Arts Festival in October.

To be a participant: If you are interested in being one of the 10-20 Participants, please call the Broadway Center at 253-573-2518, email: voices@broadwaycenter.org or click here to request or download the application.

Stadium Way Redesign Public Meeting this Wednesday!

2011-03-28T21:31:00.001-07:00

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

2011-03-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-03-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

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

Housing advocates host public meeting on affordable housing policies

2011-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Based on public interest in the topic, the Affordable Housing Policy Advisory Group, appointed by the Tacoma City Council, has elected to offer an additional public meeting on the Group’s affordable housing policy recommendations for Tacoma. The group held a morning meeting at the Chamber on Feb. 11th. This next meeting will be an evening meeting on February 28th. The program for both meetings is the same.

The City Council convened the Affordable Housing Policy Advisory Group, a consortium of for-profit developers, non-profit developers, planners, and architects in April 2010 to recommend policies the City should consider pertaining to our city’s need for and availability of affordable housing, particularly in downtown Tacoma.

The Group has delivered its report to the Council. A copy is available on-line at http://cms.cityoftacoma.org/cedd/housing/AHPAG_Final_Report_Dec_2010.pdf

Please join us fora public meeting to learn more:
Date: Monday, February 28th, 2011
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Location: Urban Grace Church, room 208(902 Market Street, downtown Tacoma)

The report conveys 25 recommendations in eight categories:
• City Policy and Leadership
• Housing Incentive or Inclusionary Programs
• Regulatory Assistance To Developers Of Affordable Housing
• Financing Tools
• Affordable Building Design Practices
• Preservation, Acquisition, Conversion and Rehabilitation of Existing Housing
• Community Development Incentives
• Planning And Zoning Tools

For more information or to RSVP for the meeting please contact Chelsea Levy at the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, chelseal@tacomachamber.org, (253) 627-2175

Downtown On the Go is Hiring

2011-02-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

Downtown: On the Go is downtown Tacoma's one-stop-shop for commuting options. The program is an active partnership between downtown businesses and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, the City of Tacoma, and Pierce Transit. Leveraging their resources and relationships, these organizations work together with employers, commuters, and anyone whose daily life is downtown to promote and advocate for transportation choices and integrated land use systems in Tacoma's downtown.

Downtown On the Go is hiring a new manager to help guide the organization's work toward a vibrant and integrated downtown Tacoma through a focus on transportation options and related land use policies. The position description and application requirements are available on the Chamber's website.

D to M Street Construction Update

2011-02-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

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 Feb. 16-23, you can expect to see on the D-to-M Streets Track and Signal Project:

Utilities
Qwest continues doing work to transfer underground utilities on East D Street, and will then move to South 25th and South C Street to work on aerial utilities. This shoulder work will not require any lane closures.

Click will be rerouting and pulling fiber from South C Street to South Tacoma Way and end up on Delin Street. No traffic control is needed for this work.

Tacoma Water will patch pavement on South Tacoma Way from approximately the former Star Fuel and Ice driveway to the Tacoma Avenue Bridge. This will require an inside northbound lane closure on South Tacoma Way. Traffic will be maintained in each direction.

D-to-M Streets construction work
Crews working for Sound Transit closed East C Street from East 25th Street to East 26th Street for roadway and street improvements. This week crews will begin installing storm pipe on East C Street, demolishing pavement, and beginning excavation. The closure is expected to last until April 1. East D Street and Pacific Avenue will remain open as main arterials.

Continued work on A Street between South 26th and South 25th for sewer line work. This work involves excavation of A Street and installation of sewer pipe. A Street will reopen prior to the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue for 11 months.

Installation of temporary signals at South 27th and A Street, and South 27th and Pacific Avenue. Temporary lane or shoulder closures will be in place for this work on South 27th and A Street.

Continued work between Delin Street and South Tacoma Way. Crews are installing piles for the shoring wall and will begin excavation for the future traffic detour during the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue for 11 months. Temporary lane closures on South Tacoma Way and Delin Street are needed to do this work. Traffic will be maintained in both directions.

Storm work at the corner of South C Street and South Tacoma Way will require traffic control on both streets into early March.

D to M Street Construction Update

2011-02-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

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 Feb. 9-16, you can expect to see the following work on the D-to-M Streets Track and Signal Project:

Utilities
• Qwest continues work for a few more weeks to transfer underground utilities on East D Street.

• Level 3 Communications Company is working on a fiber optic line in the vicinity of 27th and Delin Street.

D-to-M Streets construction work
• Crews working for Sound Transit closed East C Street from East 25th Street to East 26th Street for roadway and street improvements. This week crews will begin installing storm pipe on C Street. The closure is expected to last until April 1. East D Street and Pacific Avenue will remain open as main arterials. Doing this work now, rather than later as originally slated, will help to complete the project sooner.

• Continued work on A Street between South 26th and South 25th for sewer line work. This work involves excavation of A Street and installation of sewer pipe. A Street will reopen in April prior to the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue for 11 months.

• Installation of temporary lighting and signals at South 27th and A Street, and South 24th and A Street. Temporary lane or shoulder closures will be in place for this work on South 27th and A Street.

• Continued work between Delin Street and South Tacoma Way. Crews are installing piles for the shoring wall that is part of the temporary bypass for the future traffic detour during the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue for 11 months. Temporary lane closures on South Tacoma Way and Delin Street are needed for this work to take place.

• Building abatement will occur for the buildings slated for demolition for a few weeks.

• Storm work will take place at the corner of South C Street and South Tacoma Way. There will be traffic control on both South C Street and South Tacoma Way during this work, which will take place until the end of February.

Now’s Your Chance to Design a Downtown Banner

2011-02-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

The City of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry Program is currently accepting applications for the Urban Forest Project, a nation-wide street banner project celebrating Arbor Day 2011.

Winning tree-themed designs will be printed on street banners and “planted" on downtown light poles as part of a forest of art along Pacific Avenue in Downtown Tacoma. The project seeks to not only raise awareness of the importance of trees in the city, but to celebrate the vibrant creative community of Tacoma.

The banners will be displayed through April and May and then recycled into unique one-of-a-kind totebags designed exclusively for the project. Proceeds from the sales of the totebags will go to EverGreen Tacoma, the city’s urban forestry program to help maintain and plant trees in Tacoma. The winning banners/artists will be showcased with artist bios on the project website. Artist names will also be included at the base of each banner they design.

The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 21, 2011. Professional, student and amateur designers, artists and architects from Tacoma and the greater Puget Sound Region are invited to submit designs. Individuals may submit more than one design. Here is more information about how to submit artwork. A panel will review submissions and select up to 100 of the submitted designs. Winners will be notified the week of February 28, 2011. Email inquiries to ufp@cityoftacoma.org.

Save the Date: April 2, 2011 for the banner kick-off event (and Arbor Day celebration) at Tollefson Plaza 1-4pm. Stay tuned for more details! http://www.ufp-global.com/

The Downtown Tacoma Business Improvement Area (BIA) coordinates and manages the Downtown Tacoma Banner Program.

Developers Recommend Affordable Housing Policies for Tacoma - Public Meeting Friday

2011-02-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Please join the City of Tacoma’s Affordable Housing Policy Advisory Group for a presentation on the group’s recommendations for affordable housing in Tacoma. The City Council convened this group of for-profit developers, non-profit developers, planners, and architects in April 2010 to recommend policies the City should consider pertaining to our city’s need for and availability of affordable housing, particularly in downtown Tacoma.

The Group has delivered its report to the Council. A copy is available on-line at http://cms.cityoftacoma.org/cedd/housing/AHPAG_Final_Report_Dec_2010.pdf

Please join us to learn more:
Date: Friday, February 11th, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Location: Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber (950 Pacific Ave., suite 300)

The report conveys 25 recommendations in eight categories:
• City Policy and Leadership
• Housing Incentive or Inclusionary Programs
• Regulatory Assistance To Developers Of Affordable Housing
• Financing Tools
• Affordable Building Design Practices
• Preservation, Acquisition, Conversion and Rehabilitation of Existing Housing
• Community Development Incentives
• Planning And Zoning Tools

For more information or to RSVP please contact Chelsea Levy at the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, chelseal@tacomachamber.org, (253) 627-2175

Nominate a Downtown Leader for a New Tacoma Award

2011-02-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

It’s time again to honor the individuals, organizations and businesses leading the revitalization of downtown Tacoma with the annual New Tacoma Awards. 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. A complete list of past winners is available here.

The Chamber relies on our downtown community for nominations for these awards. Nominate a community leader today!

2010 New Tacoma Award winners will be recognized at the City Center Luncheon on April 1st – 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 New Tacoma Awards honor recipients in the following categories:

Public Places Award (new award category!) – Recognizing the best activation of a public park, open space or area in the public right-of-way

Ghilarducci Award - Recognizing successful new development, renovation or beautification

Popham Award - Recognizing the individual that has done the most to build “community spirit”

Union Station Award - Recognizing leading organizations, companies or individuals that have built or sustained momentum for revitalization

Schoenfeld Award - Recognizing exemplary performance (and pizzazz!) as a retailer or restaurateur

Award nominations are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on February 28th, 2011. A complete description of the award categories, rules, and an on-line nomination form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2011NewTacomaAwardsNominationForm

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

D to M Street Construction Update

2011-01-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

Sound Transit has begun work on the D to M Street Track and Signal Project connecting Sounder trains from Tacoma Dome Station to Lakewood. For the week of Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, you can expect to see on the D-to-M Streets Track and Signal Project:

Utilities
• Qwest will be doing work on East D Street for about a month to transfer underground utilities. This will require traffic control but no closures on East D Street.
• Level 3 Communications company will be working on South C Street between South Tacoma Way and South 25th with a shoulder closure that will not affect traffic.
• Tacoma Power will work during the day on Sunday and will set up some traffic control on East 26th Street.

D-to-M Streets construction work
• Continued work on A Street between South 26th and South 25th for sewer line work. This work involves excavation of A Street and installation of sewer pipe. A Street will reopen in April prior to the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue for 11 months.
• Excavation of a temporary storm retention pond in a Sound Transit-owned lot between A Street and Pacific Avenue. Trucks carrying material will enter and exit from South 26th Street.
• Installation of temporary wood poles for upcoming temporary lighting and signals at the corners of South 24th Street and A Street, South 27th and A Street, and South 27th and Pacific Avenue.
• Continued clearing work between Delin Street and South Tacoma Way. After that work is complete, crews will begin constructing the temporary traffic bypass for a future traffic detour during the temporary closure of Pacific Avenue for 11 months.
• Traffic control will be set up on South 27th Street between Pacific Avenue and A Street for detour street improvements.

Sound Transit Updates: D to M Construction & Open House

2011-01-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

D to M Street Construction:
Sound Transit has begun work on the D to M Street Track and Signal Project connecting Sounder trains from Tacoma Dome Station to Lakewood. For the week of Jan. 5 to Jan. 12, 2011, here's what you can expect from the D-to-M Street construction:

Continued utility relocation work at the corner of A Street and South 26th Street.
Build street improvements along A Street between South 26th and South 27th streets, which will become a future detour route when Pacific Avenue is temporarily closed.
Work with Tacoma Water on South 26th Street between East C Street and Pacific Ave.

During this work, traffic control will be set up along A and South 26th streets. Traffic will be maintained in both directions, and the northbound ramp to Interstate 5 will be maintained at all times via South 27th Street. A police officer will continue to monitor the intersection of A Street and South 26th Street.

Please be aware that beginning Jan. 13, A Street between South 26th and South 25th will be temporarily closed for sewer line work.

For more information contact Erin Hunter: 206-370-5511 or erin.hunter@soundtransit.org. If you know others who would benefit from these electronic updates, please invite them to sign up at www.soundtransit.org/subscribe.

Sounder Station Open House:
In January, Sound Transit will host a series of open houses in South Sound communities to present information on the Sounder Station Access Planning Study. The agency is conducting the study to identify potential improvements in the ways commuters access its Sounder stations.

Possible improvements the agency is studying include increased parking, pedestrian sidewalks, crosswalks and bridges, bicycle commute options, and transit facility enhancements.

Open houses will include:
• A description of Sound Transit service areas, transit routes, 2011 budget, and the Sound Transit 2 program
• Objectives of and timeline for the Sounder Station Access Planning Study
• Overview of existing station access issues and discussion of potential solutions
• Informal Q & A and public comment

Tacoma Open House - Tuesday, Jan. 18, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
University of Washington -Tacoma
Jane Russell Commons
1918 Pacific Avenue

For a complete list of open house dates and locations visit the Sound Transit website.

Save Our Buses Campaign Kickoff – Thursday

2011-01-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Pierce Transit is in trouble and needs your help! Like many other transit agencies in Washington, Pierce Transit is facing a large budget deficit because of the economic downturn. Despite service cuts, staff layoffs and delaying or eliminating capital projects, Pierce Transit will be forced to cut service nearly 35% to close their budget gap unless they can raise new revenue.

These cuts will have a dramatic impact on downtown Tacoma. Approximately 8,000 people ride the bus into downtown each day. Fifty-percent of those trips rely on transit to get to work. Thirty-five percent service cuts to downtown mean some downtown routes are eliminated, buses come less often and weekend service is slashed. This is unacceptable for our downtown.

You can help by spreading the word, donating to the campaign and coming to the Save Our Buses Campaign Kickoff

WHEN: Thursday, Jan 6th 6pm-7:30pm
WHERE:The Hub Events Space, 203 Tacoma Ave S., Tacoma
RSVP: info@approveprop1.com or 253-732-9434

For more information about the February 8th 2011 election and Proposition 1, Save Our Buses go to http://www.approveprop1.com/

Downtown: On the Go! & Stadium High School Receive Grant for Student Bike Club

2011-01-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Downtown: On the Go! and Stadium High School have received a $4000 grant from the City of Tacoma's Office of Sustainability to create a student Bike Club that will engage youth in sustainable transportation options and healthy lifestyles.

The goal of the Club is to provide support to students already biking to school and encouragement and education for those students that would like to bike to school. SHS students biking on city streets and through neighborhoods sends a powerful message about bicycling as an important mode of transportation in Tacoma. More generally, the bike club is an effort to expose youth to sustainable transportation options and healthy lifestyle choices, with hopes of infusing these into Tacoma's youth culture.

ABOUT THE CITY OF TACOMA SUSTAINABILITY GRANTS

In this round, the City of Tacoma’s Office of Sustainability has awarded more than $50,000 in grants to 17 schools and nonprofit organizations for projects that help the community reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The awards range from $800 to $5,000 and focus on projects related to food composting, school and community gardens, recycling, reducing energy consumption, efficient transportation and tree planting.

These awards, evaluated and chosen by the Sustainable Tacoma Commission, are the first sustainability grants awarded by the city. The grant program was established to encourage schools and nonprofit organizations to develop creative and educational ways to help Tacoma reach its Climate Action Plan goals. The Commission evaluated 37 applications with requests totaling more than $150,000 in funding.

Downtown to get Grocery Store

2011-01-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Kress IGA in Seattle

Can it be true? We’ve hoped and pleaded and prayed for years for a grocer to invest in downtown Tacoma. If all goes as planned our dreams may come true.
Dan Putnam a partner in downtown’s newest development, Pacific Plaza told The News Tribune this morning he has an agreement with the Meyers Group. The Group owns and operates four small grocery stores in Washington and plans a store similar in size to Kress IGA at the Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Read the details on TNT website.

Sound Transit Construction Update

2010-12-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

Sound Transit has begun work on the D to M street Track and Signal Project connecting Sounder trains from Tacoma Dome Station to Lakewood.

For the week of Dec. 29, 2010, to Jan. 5, 2011, you can expect to see on the D-to-M Streets Track and Signal Project:

• Trenching to install utilities down A Street to South 26th Street.

• Additional utility relocation work will follow at the corner of A Street and South 26th Street.

• After utility relocation work is complete, crews will begin making street improvements to A Street between South 26th and South 27th streets, which will become a future detour route when Pacific Avenue is temporarily closed.

During this work, traffic control will be set up along A and South 26th streets. Traffic will be maintained in both directions, and the northbound ramp to Interstate 5 will be maintained at all times.

As construction moves at a rapid pace, here is what you can expect during the month of January. These will include but are not limited to:

• Waterline work in the vicinity of Pacific Avenue, South 25th and South 27th streets in preparation for the closure and excavation of Pacific Avenue.

• Closure of A Street between South 26th and South 25th in mid- to late January 2011 until April 2011 for sewer line work.

• Traffic Signal work at various intersections in the project vicinity, in preparation for the Pacific Avenue Detour.

• Construction of a temporary eastbound (toward Pacific Avenue) detour bypass beside South Tacoma Way.

Beginning in January, Sound Transit will offer a monthly coffee hour. You are invited to stop in and learn about construction. Meetings will be the third Tuesday of every month from 8 to 9 a.m. at Leila’s Deli, 402 E. 26th St., Tacoma. Please feel free to join us at the next coffee hour on Tuesday, Jan. 18, or contact me with any questions at 206-370-5511 or erin.hunter@soundtransit.org. If you know others who would benefit from these electronic updates, please invite them to sign up at www.soundtransit.org/subscribe.

Drive Nice, Tacoma

2010-12-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

The City of Tacoma, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and Washington State Department of Health want drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists to be aware of each other and share the road.

In a light and humorous way, the campaign, designed by Rusty George Creative strives to address a serious topic: vehicle-pedestian crashes. The goal was to make people stop and think about who else is using the road and how we can all avoid accidents by paying attention.

Fox News reported on the safety campaign here.

Construction continues on Pacific Ave.

2010-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Sound Transit has begun work on the D to M street Track and Signal Project connecting Sounder trains from Tacoma Dome Station to Lakewood.

For the weeks of Dec. 16-29, on the D-to-M Streets Track and Signal Project you can expect to see trenching across the intersection of A and South 26th streets. Crews will start from the north and work toward the south and construct the north half on Thursday, Dec. 16, and Friday, Dec. 17. No construction will take place over the weekend. The south half will then be constructed on Monday, Dec. 20, and Tuesday, Dec. 21. Both sides will be repaved and back to the existing roadway by end of day Tuesday, Dec. 21.

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, crews will move up to South 27th Street and begin working from south to north. Crews will be trenching east across A Street from South 27th Street and down A Street to South 26th Street. Parking spots on A Street between 26th and 27th Streets are closed starting today.

During this work, at least one lane of traffic in both directions will be maintained for traffic along South 26th and South 27th streets, the northbound ramp to Interstate 5 will be maintained at all times, and businesses are open for your patronage!

For more information on the D to M project visit Sound Transit’s website, http://www.soundtransit.org/x8955.xml

Spaceworks Tacoma accepting applications now through Jan. 17

2010-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

Artists, artist groups and creative entrepreneurs can now apply for an opportunity to participate in Spaceworks Tacoma: Round 3. Spaceworks Tacoma is a joint initiative of the City of Tacoma, Shunpike, and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce to activate empty spaces with creative use.

“After the initial pilot, Spaceworks Tacoma has emerged as a successful program that turns a typically detrimental thing – vacant storefronts – into something we can use for positive change in Tacoma,” said City of Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride. “Since July 2010, Spaceworks Tacoma has placed 34 artists or artist teams in 15 spaces around downtown Tacoma.”

There are currently three opportunities available in Spaceworks Tacoma: Round 3, and those selected will receive temporary no-cost or low-cost space, exposure and business consultation in exchange for creatively activating vacant spaces in downtown Tacoma beginning mid-March.

• Artscapes: Those selected for this opportunity would temporarily place visual art installations in interior window storefronts March 15 - July 1, 2011.

• Creative Enterprise: This opportunity provides designers, crafters, consultants and other entrepreneurs with the chance to test new products and services in a physical space on a three- or six-month basis.

• Artist Residency: This opportunity offers dedicated practicing artists the chance to pursue projects and develop work in any artistic discipline for three months, with the opportunity to extend to six months.
Applications for Spaceworks Tacoma: Round 3 will be accepted until Jan. 17, 2011. Visit http://www.spaceworkstacoma.wordpress.com/apply for full details and an application.

Locations and support for Spaceworks Tacoma are provided by property owners Eric Cederstrand, Ted Johnson, Herb Simon, Steve Shaub, George Howe, Al Howe and Jeff Wohler, as well as property managers Shannon Tiegs of Roberson Building Company, Sally England of Colliers International and Michael Norman of Neil Walter. Community partners include Tacoma Contemporary, Broadway Center for the Performing Arts and King’s Books.

Parking Task Force Seeks New Members

2010-12-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

Want to make a difference in your downtown? The Parking Management Advisory Task Force is looking for new members who will be actively engaged in decisions and recommendations to the City about downtown parking. The Task Force advises the City Manager on the downtown parking system; duties include the recently introduced paid on-street parking program, but may grow to include the City’s off-street parking facilities.

Currently, there is a need for volunteers representing downtown residents, owners/ managers of commercial properties and restaurant operators within the downtown. The Task Force currently meets the first and third Thursday’s of the month from 4 p.m. to 6.p.m..

Interested persons are invited to complete an application for further consideration by the Task Force and appointment to the Task Force by the Tacoma City Manager. Applications are due by the end of day Monday, December 13, 2010.

For more information about the Parking Management Advisory Task Force and the downtown parking system visit http://www.tacomaparking.com/.

Changes to the on-street parking system

2010-12-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

When paid on-street parking began in September the message from the City of Tacoma was the system is designed to be flexible and over time adjustments will be made to the system. In the last several months the City of Tacoma and The Downtown Parking Management Advisory Task Force has been listening to your suggestions for improving the operations of the new pay stations to benefit its many users. Here are several changes you will see in the coming weeks including:

• On Saturdays, buy two hours and you can park all day. Parkers will be able to purchase all day parking on Saturday at each pay station for just $1.50. Users can still purchase less than two hours of time when needed, but they will not get the all day parking benefit. This is a pilot program to be evaluated in February.

• Parkers can now pre-purchase parking time for the next day beginning at 8 p.m. This change will allow more parkers to conveniently purchase time and display their receipt before enforcement begins the following morning.

• No charge for parking on portions of Market Street from S. 11th to S. 21st Streets. This is a pilot program to be evaluated in February. During this period, the City will collect parking data to assess parking demand and turnover in support of local businesses. A 90-minute time limit will be enforced.

Did you know…

• You can take your unexpired pay station time receipt to another parking space. Each pay station receipt has a time stamp that can be used in any stall within the paid parking area downtown.
• Twenty-five cents buys 20 minutes of time. The minimum cost for parking is $0.25 – for those short trips into a store or any quick stop.

For more information about the on-street parking system go to http://www.tacomaparking.com/.

Charette for Pac Ave Streetscape Project

2010-12-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Exciting changes are coming downtown and the City invites you to get involved.

The City of Tacoma is holding a Public Charette for the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project and would like feedback. The public is invited to provide input and comment on conceptual designs completed for the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

9:00 a.m. - Noon

Tacoma Art Museum

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

Phase One of the project will improve the right-of-way from 7th Street to 17th Street and provide a streetscape design that complements the completed Pacific Avenue streetscape (17th Street to 21st Street).

The project will incorporate innovative stormwater management design, complete streets concepts, multimodal transportation and wayfinding. The new streetscape will also be designed to attract and encourage new business in downtown Tacoma.

If you would like more detailed information on this meeting, contact Sue O'Neill or you can phone her at 253.591.5789.

Anyone wanting to submit written comments may do so no later than 5 p.m., December 10, 2010 to Sue O'Neill, Asst. Division Manager, PW Engineering, 747 Market Street, Room 544, Tacoma, WA 98402.

Sound Transit's D-to-M Streets Project Open House this Thursday

2010-11-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Big changes are coming to downtown as Sound Transit prepares to begin construction on the extension of the Sounder commuter rail service to Lakewood from Tacoma. Sound Transit will soon lay new track between East D and South M streets, resulting in street closures and traffic detours. Construction is expected to start in fall 2010 and conclude in fall of 2012.

Perhaps the biggest impact on downtown will involve the closure of Pacific Ave. for the construction of a railroad bridge that will enable a continual flow of traffic once the rail line is complete.

Find yourself wanting more information on this very significant project? Attend the...

D-to-M Streets Project Open House

Thursday, November 4th
Visit anytime between 4:00-7:00pm
Milgard Family Assembly Room,
Philip Hall ~ UWT
1918 Pacific Avenue

At the Open House, information will be available on:
- Construction schedule, phasing, detours, and safety
- Sound Transit art program (STart)
- Sound Transit Proposed 2011 Budget

For more information, or to schedule a presentation with your group, contact Erin Hunter at 206-370-5511 or erin.hunter@soundtransit.org, or visit the project website at www.soundtransit.org/DtoM.

Coming Soon…Infrastructure improvements downtown

2010-10-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Despite the down economy the City of Tacoma and private property owners are planning for exciting investments in buildings, streetscapes and services that will help pull downtown out of the recession. Register now for the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s quarterly City Center Luncheon on November 19th to learn about:

Pacific Ave. Streetscape improvements
With help from the Federal Government, the City of Tacoma is planning for a major reconstruction of Pacific Ave. between S. 7th and S. 17th in the core of downtown. Plans are still in development, but will likely include new sidewalks, street trees, storm water enhancements, street furniture, lighting and bike lanes. Learn more about the plans at the luncheon from City Manager Eric Anderson.

New Tacoma Link station
Tacoma Link was built with a gap in the system, a stop that serves the businesses in the downtown core. The new stop, to be constructed on Commerce St. between S. 11th and S. 12th Streets will drive traffic to near by offices and retailers. Join us to learn about what to expect from the construction and the new stop.

Plans for the Foremost Dairy
The Foremost Dairy building on the corner of S. 25th and Pacific was originally built in 1927 for Royal Ice Cream and Milk Company. After sitting vacant for years, the historic building was purchased in 2008 and is on track for redevelopment (some work has already begun). Come learn how this redevelopment is helping to spur growth in downtown.

It’s your Business Improvement Area
The Downtown Tacoma Business Improvement Area provides safe and clean services (and the hanging flower baskets in the summer) for 84-blocks of downtown. Join us to learn about how you and your business can take advantage of BIA services and meet your clean and safe crews.

The luncheon program is still being developed. Check back regularly for new information.

When: Friday, November 19th, 2010
Time: 11:30 (registration) 12:00-1:30 (program)
Location: Pacific Grill Event Center, 1530 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402.

Please consider walking, biking or carpooling to this event.
If you must drive, validated parking is available in the Convention Center.

To register for the luncheon visit the Chamber’s website, call or email Cathy Thompson (253) 627-2175, cathyt@tacomachamber.org

Trick-Art-Treat in downtown with Mayor Strickland

2010-10-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland invites you don your best costume and Trick-Art-Treat with her in downtown Tacoma Oct. 28 from 5 – 7 p.m.

The Trick-Art-Treat celebration is Spaceworks Tacoma’s Round II opening of vacant retail spaces transformed into creative enterprises and art installations. Trick-Art-Treat will feature many new exhibits by local artists, film, performance art, music and more. Pick up a map of the Spaceworks Tacoma spaces at any of the locations below.

Highlights include:

913 Pacific Ave.
• Shakespeare in the Parking Lot Theater Company
• Piñatas by Cheryl Rux and Nichole Vandever
• Stick around for a preview of Titus Andronicus at 8 p.m.

915 Pacific Ave.
• Chiffon: original fashion, jewelry and vintage collections
• Raffle for a unique piece of jewelry
• Costume party complete with a DJ, treats and henna tattoos

906 Broadway
• fly: the best in renegade craft and art

1114 Pacific Ave. Residency Suite
Meet the artists and see some of their latest work.
• Meghan Lancaster, textile artist - See the new installation and enjoy refreshments.
• Josh Everson, photographer - Get a Halloween portrait taken.
• Isaac Olsen, filmmaker - He will be projecting his new, feature-length film, “Quiet Shoes” (as seen at this year’s Tacoma Film Festival).
• Michael Kaniecki, painter - Come see him at work.

The opening will also feature new installations by Barbara DePirro, Scott Huette, Sisy Anderson, Holly Senn, Alyson Piskorowski, Alexandra Opie, Alice DiCerto, Kyle Dillehay, Jessica Bender, Tania Kupczak, Craig Snyder and Ruth Marie Tomlinson.

Spaceworks Tacoma, which aims to activate empty storefronts and vacant space in downtown Tacoma, is a joint initiative of the City of Tacoma, Shunpike and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. The initiative makes no-cost and low-cost temporary space available to artists, fledgling creative entrepreneurs, organizations and community groups, and allows a diverse range of art installations and performances, artist residencies, creative enterprises and pop-up events to occur.
For more information, visit http://www.spaceworkstacoma.com/ or e-mail rsolverson@cityoftacoma.org.

Link to close later than planned for Biden visit

2010-10-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Tacoma Link closure schedule has changed for Friday's visit by Vice President Joe Biden. In coordination with the Vice President's visit Tacoma Link will not run starting at 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.. Morning commuters parking at Tacoma Dome Station and riding link into downtown will still be able to do so on their regular schedules.

Check out our previous post for details on street closures and transit impacts.

Note that closure times and locations may change...it's the Vice President of the United States. Thanks for being flexible.

P.S.: Received at 11:00 p.m., Thursday:

The Tacoma Link closure schedule has changed for Friday's visit by Vice President Joe Biden. In coordination with the Vice President's visit, Tacoma Link will not run starting at 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.. Morning commuters parking at Tacoma Dome Station and riding link into downtown will still be able to do so on their regular schedules.

Major Street Closures Downtown on FRIDAY, October 8th

2010-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

There will be major street closures and transit impacts in downtown Tacoma this Friday, October 8th, in coordination with Vice President Joe Biden’s visit. The Vice President will be speaking at the University of Washington Tacoma campus in the afternoon.

Tacoma Link service will be shut down from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

All streets around the UWT campus will be closed, no through traffic or parking:

- Pacific Avenue between S. 21st and S. 17th

- S. 21st between Pacific Ave. and Market St.

- S. 17th St. between Pacific and Market St.

- Jefferson St. between Pacific and Market

- Likely Market St between S. 17th and S. 21st St.

Buses in the area will be rerouted to different streets. Contact the transit agencies directly for more information about impacts to transit service. Sound Transit, 206-398-5000; Pierce Transit 253.606.4626.

Sound Transit unanimously approves new Link stop

2010-09-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today the Sound Transit Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the construction of a new Tacoma Link station in downtown Tacoma. The station’s southbound and northbound platforms will be constructed on Commerce St. between S. 11th and S. 12th Streets. Construction is scheduled to begin in late January 2011.

Read previous posts on this topic here and here.

WALK Tacoma "Step into Fall" Lunchtime Walking Series

2010-09-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Please join Downtown: On the Go! on each of the five Fridays throughout October as we take a lunchtime walk along each of the five WALK Tacoma routes. Join us on this walk and receive a set of WALK Tacoma walking maps.

Friday, October 1, 12-1pm:

Wright Park to Stadium District Walk
Come out to see the fall color of Wright Park and enjoy the history of the Stadium District. Meet up near Wright Park white lions on 6th Ave. Enjoy cider and autumn treats for this walking series kick-off event.

Friday, October 8, 12-1pm:

Downtown to Hilltop Walk

Meet up in front of the historic Woolworth Building on 11th and Broadway.

Friday, October 15, 12-1pm:

South Waterfront to Tacoma Dome Station Walk

Meet up in front of Union Station and return via the Link. Includes a brief tour of the public exhibition of Chihuly glass inside of Union Station.

Friday, October 22, 12-1pm:

North Waterfront to Theatre District Walk

Meet at the corner of 9th and Broadway for this walk in the heart of downtown.

Friday, October 29, 12-1pm:

Brewery District to South Downtown Walk

Meet in front of The Swiss for this walk of the historic brewery district.

About the WALK Tacoma Downtown Walking MapsIn early 2010, Downtown: On the Go! convened a group of stakeholders within the downtown community to create downtown focused walking maps. With goals that included incentivizing walking as a healthy lunchtime activity, encouraging awareness of walkable distances, and cultivating an appreciation of Tacoma’s rich past, present, and future, the stakeholders developed five downtown walking map routes.

Branded as WALK Tacoma by a PLU Student Design Team, each route takes the pedestrian on an interpretive tour of 8-10 sites. Even veteran Tacomans will discover something new as each map blends information on major landmarks and hidden gems. Routes average 1.5 miles in length, range in difficulty, and include estimates for calories burned. To learn more about how to obtain a set or sets of maps, click here.

GET OUT, GET ACTIVE - WALK TACOMA!

12th Street Hill Climb Opens

2010-09-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

The new and improved 12th Street Hill Climb next to Pacific Plaza is now open to the public. The finishing touches are still being put on the staircase and art installation by Jill Anholt, but the stairs which provide a mid-block shortcut between Pacific Avenue and Commerce are open.

Cycling enthusiasts will be please see and now use the metal wheel gutters for bringing bicycles up the stairs.

The sidewalk along that portion of Pacific Avenue has also been reopened. Pedestrians will no longer be forced into the street when walking by the project.

Read previous BIA coverage here.

The News Tribune reported on the hill climb’s progress back in July

Paid Parking begins Today

2010-09-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

After years of planning, paid on-street parking begun in downtown Tacoma today. Friendly ambassadors are out in force to help parkers with the pay stations and answering questions.

Over the next few weeks the availability of parking on-street will be erratic as employees and other long-term parkers move to off-street lots and garages opening up spaces on the street for short-term parkers shopping, eating or doing business in downtown.

Here’s what you can expect:

· Park for up to 2 hours in one location

· Pay 75 cents per hour, you can purchase a minimum of 20 minutes for 25 cents

· Pay to park 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday

· Stick the parking stub in your window and take your unused time with you anywhere in downtown

For more information go to http://www.downtowntacomaparking.com/

Advocacy for Light Rail Stop

2010-09-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

PARK(ing) Day Comes to Downtown Tacoma this Friday!

2010-09-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

Park(ing) Day is an international day of turning passive urban parking stalls into active mini-parks filled with people, plants, music, art and games. After a successful inaugural Park(ing) Day in 2009, Transportation Choices Coalition is partnering with area businesses/organizations to bring you yet another year of converting on-street vehicle storage into public spaces. It all happens this Friday, September 17th between 10am and 2pm. Check out the map of downtown Park(ing) spaces by clicking here.

To add to the excitement, Downtown: On the Go! will lead a walking tour of the these spaces between noon and 1:00pm. The walking tour will start in front of the UWT Bookstore, and culminate at the final "park" in front of Doyle's Public House. You can then vote for the best park(ing) space on the Downtown: On the Go! Facebook Page.

Park(ing) Day started in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, transformed a parking stall into a park for two hours. It has now grown to more than 700 “parks” in 140 cities across the world. Check out www.parkingday.org and the Flickr Park(ing) Day pool to see inspiring photos.

Both Transportation Choices Coalition and Downtown: On the Go! hope that you'll take advantage of Tacoma's well-designed public park(ing) spaces by joining fellow Park(ers) for lunch or coffee, choosing to make a Park(ing) space your office for the day, or just admiring the creative use of public space during the lunchtime walking tour. Become a fan of Downtown: On the Go! on Facebook to get all of the details on Park(ing) Day 2010!

Welcome, Welcome Figure

2010-09-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

As of this morning the long-awaited Welcome Figure now watches over Tollefson Plaza. The wooden statue of a Native American woman stands 22 feet tall and wears a traditional woven cedar hat and white dress with a Thunderbird design, her hands outstretched in a welcoming gesture. She was carved by Puyallup native artist Shaun Peterson (Qwalsius).

The figure will welcome all who visit downtown Tacoma and stands in tribute to the Puyallup’s who were the first people to inhabit the area. The land around Tollefson Plaza was once an important village site to the Puyallup Tribe.

The Puyallup Tribe, City of Tacoma and Tacoma Art Museum will celebrate the installation and unveiling of the Welcome Figure with a blessing ceremony Saturday, September 18th, 10am – noon in Tollefson Plaza (S. 17th and Pacific Ave.).

City seeks Parking Ambassadors

2010-09-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

For many customers, clients and visitors parking is their first and last experience of downtown. The City and downtown businesses want this experience to be a positive one. One of the main purposes of the new parking program is to insure that those who need short-term parking in downtown can always find a space on-street in the vicinity of their destination.

In pursuit of this goal, the City of Tacoma is looking for volunteer ambassadors to assist parkers with the new parking pay stations starting September 20th. The volunteers will provide assistance to parkers with using the machine, information on off-street parking options and general customer service for the initial days of the program.

Volunteers are needed for the weeks of September 20th and 27th (including Saturdays but not Sundays) from 7:30am to 4:00pm. Volunteers will work either a 4 hour shift or an 8 hour day. Several one hour training sessions will be held on Wednesday, September 15th and Friday, September 17th between 4pm and 9pm (to be firmed up next week) at the Wells Fargo Building. Identifying vests will be provided for the volunteers to use while on duty.

If you’re interested in being an ambassador and helping parkers learn how to use the new parking pay stations please contact Kathy Kuzemka, 202-756-5744, Kathy.kuzemka@acs-inc.com
For more information about the parking changes go to http://www.downtowntacomaparking.com/

Off-street parking map now available

2010-09-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Off-street parking map

When paid on-street parking starts in downtown Tacoma on September 20th downtown employees and other drivers looking to park for stays longer than 2 hours should consider parking in an off-street garage or lot.

Employees and residents who park on the street in the core business area of downtown take up parking stalls that would otherwise be used for short-term parkers, namely customers, clients and visitors to downtown. To create a vibrant, active and prosperous downtown that everyone will benefit from we must make downtown more accessible to those who shop and do business here.

The City of Tacoma has developed a useful map to help long-term parkers find off-street parking. There are 63 off-street parking facilities with over 7000 parking stalls in the core business area of downtown. Rates range from $1-$10 per hour, $3-$20 per day or $38-$164 per month. There is a parking spot for everyone who wants one in downtown Tacoma.

Public Meeting on downtown pay stations - TODAY

2010-09-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

On-street parking pay stations are coming to downtown Tacoma September 20th.

Learn more about the status of on-street parking pay stations system in at a public meeting today, Sept. 2 starting at 5 p.m. at the Pantages Theater (9th Street and Broadway in Studio 2. To reach the studio, walk past the box office and take the silver elevator to the second floor.). This is the last public meeting before the pay stations are operational on Sept. 20, 2010.

Paid on-street parking in downtown will open up short-term (2hour) parking stalls for customers, clients and visitors to downtown. Drivers looking to park for longer stays should consider parking in an off street garage or lot.

Over the last year, a 12-member panel of citizens and business leaders was established to advise Tacoma’s city manager and the City Council on key features of the paid parking system. The advisory group has held monthly meetings for stakeholders and interested citizens on the first Thursday of each month since April 2010.
The parking system improvements will soon be finalized for implementation. If you would like to weigh-in on the process, you are encouraged to attend the meeting today. Or for more information about the pay stations, visit http://www.downtowntacomaparking.com/.

Downtown, a new Link station is headed our way

2010-08-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

A new Tacoma Link light rail stop is planned for S. 11th and Commerce. The downtown business community including DaVita, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber and other members of the Tacoma Partnership have advocated for a Link stop at this location, which will provide better Link access for businesses and residents in the north end of downtown.

The plan presented at today’s City Council Study Session calls for two station platforms. The south bound station is proposed for just north of the South 12th St. skybridge, in front of the School of the Arts building. The northbound station is planned for just south of 11th St, near Chase Bank.

The additional stops will increase the headway or time between trains from ten minutes to twelve minutes. Members of the business community believe this increased time is worth the additional ridership and access to businesses a stop at this location will provide.

Design of the stations by city staff is 60% complete and includes additional security cameras and better lighting in the area around the stations. The station designs will require Link trains to stop in the roadway adjacent to the platforms. The existing sidewalks will be extended out to meet the tracks and new platforms. The construction cost is estimated to be $350,000. The City of Tacoma will pay for cost associated with construction and maintenance of the new stations.

The Sound Transit Board of Directors must give its approval for the proposal to move forward. The proposal and plans will be discussed at a number of Sound Transit committee meetings in the coming weeks and will go before the entire Sound Transit Board for a vote in October. If approved, construction could begin in January 2011 and completed in March 2011.

Prairie Line Trail Update

2010-08-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday, August 9, 2010 the City of Tacoma applied for design and construction grants as part of the ongoing process of transforming the abandoned Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad corridor into an urban pedestrian and bicycle trail.

The Prairie Line Trail will be a linear park linking planned redevelopment in the Brewery District to the University of Washington Tacoma, Tollefson Plaza, Tacoma Art Museum and the Thea Foss Esplanade. The trail will provide better access from the south end of downtown to the Foss Waterway and will be a benefit to businesses and employees. Additionally, the Prairie Line Trail will connect to other regional trails including the Historic Water Ditch Trail and the Scott Pierson Trail.

Access to parking improves in Park Plaza North

2010-08-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

Park Plaza North (923 Commerce St.) is one of the largest City-owned parking garages in downtown Tacoma. It is also the most central and easy to access garage for theater-goers, shoppers on Antique Row and visitors to the City’s Municipal Building. Pedestrians can cross the skybridge near the Theater on the Square on Broadway. Vehicle access is on Commerce St.

Until now, the closest parking stalls in the garage to the Broadway skybridge access point have been largely reserved for the City of Tacoma motorpool vehicles. This week the City moved the large code enforcement trucks and other City owned vehicles to the top level of the garage, opening up convenient parking for the public. Thank you City of Tacoma!

This change is one of the steps being taken by the City to improve on and off-street parking in downtown. Paid on-street parking starts in downtown on September 20th. For more information go to http://www.dowtowntacomaparking.com/

Spaceworks Tacoma Block Party this Thursday

2010-07-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Spaceworks Tacoma – an initiative to activate empty storefronts in downtown Tacoma with art and creative enterprise – celebrates its official launch on July 29th with a Kick-Off Block Party Event that is free and open to the public. Spaceworks Tacoma is a joint project of the City of Tacoma, Shunpike and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.

When: Thursday, July 29, 4:30pm-8pm

Where: 9th & Broadway, Downtown Tacoma

See how artists are revitalizing vacant spaces and helping to enliven downtown Tacoma with projects ranging from visual art to film production to boutiques full of hand-made products. Join us for walking tours of all of the transformed vacant spaces, live music and performances, food and drinks and ALL Out - the first gathering of the new Arts Leadership Lab Tacoma.

Read what The News Tribune has to say about Spaceworks Tacoma

More Sounder service is headed our way

2010-07-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

The Sound Transit board of directors today took a major step towards delivering the Sounder commuter rail expansions that voters approved in 2008 by authorizing the purchase of rights to four additional south line Sounder round trips.

The $185 million purchase agreement with Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway enables the regional transit agency to incrementally expand its popular commuter rail service from nine to thirteen round trips a day, with the first new round trip starting as soon as 2012. The expanded service will add four peak direction, peak hour trains to the Seattle-to-Tacoma Sounder schedule, with flexibility to run reverse commute and midday service based on ridership demand.

The easement rights for the four additional trains grant use of the Seattle-Tacoma railway in perpetuity.

“The expansion of Sounder service is a smart investment in our region’s transportation system that will pay dividends for generations to come,” said Sound Transit board chair and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. “Since it began service 10 years ago, Sounder has carried more than 14.5 million passengers, with more riders hopping on board as our region’s economy recovers and population centers continue to grow.”

“This is terrific news for south King and Pierce County commuters,” said Claudia Thomas, Sound Transit board member and Lakewood City Councilmember. “As we extend our Sounder railway from Tacoma to Lakewood, more riders will be able to take advantage of this needed transportation option.”

“These additional trains will go a long way toward building our capacity to deliver regional transit services to the growing cities south of Seattle,” said Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow. “Adding Sounder runs to our schedule will help improve the quality of life for south sound residents by giving them more choices for efficiently traveling up and down the congested Seattle-Tacoma corridor.”

The four perpetual easements purchased from Burlington Northern will expand Sounder service on a staggered schedule, with the first additional train beginning operation in July of 2012, followed by a second in the fall of 2014, a third in the summer of 2015, and a fourth the following year.

For more information, please go to http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/about/board/resolutions/2010/Reso2010-14.pdf .

CONTACT: Kimberly Reason — (206) 689-3343 or kimberly.reason@soundtransit.org