I love trains.

I just took the Amtrak down to Portland a few weeks back for a work trip. It is my favorite way to travel to PDX, which I do for work and pleasure at least a few times a year. Portland’s walk-ability and transit system also make it really easy to be without a car.

You may have heard by now that WSDOT will be breaking ground on the new Amtrak station at Freighthouse Square this next year and that new station is schedule to open in 2017.

Parts of the plans for the new station include a clock tower that WSDOT and the Citizens Advisory Committee on the project have hopes will be an iconic addition to the Tacoma landscape.

The proposed clock tower will stand 80 to 90 feet tall and be located on 25th Street, in front of the Freighthouse Square building and across the street from the commuter parking garage.

Whenever someone uses the word iconic – I’ll admit I get a little nervous.

Not because I’m against iconic structures. No, in fact, I think iconic design and architectural elements are an important factor in a community’s identification with its city.

I get nervous because sometimes what gets produced in the service of iconic is something ugly, something out of place, something that isn’t functional, or something that is trying entirely too hard.

I’m not an architect or a designer, but like most of you, I know when something works and doesn’t work. It’s a fine line – trying to create something iconic

In some ways there are a lot of things out of the control of the designers and decision makers that end up making something iconic. Sometimes it is just about timing. Sometimes it’s about the cultural evolution of a place that can’t be anticipated in the moment.

Interestingly enough, we already have an iconic structure in the vicinity of the new Amtrak station – the Tacoma Dome.

The T-Dome is a good example. I’m not sure anyone would call it attractive and in fact many people might call it an eye sore. Nevertheless, it is iconic and you can’t think about the Tacoma landscape without calling to mind the dome.

The structure itself is iconic and that doesn’t even take into account the history that it holds. I wore out my Sonic’s T-Shirt that had the Tacoma landscape worked into the Sonic’s logo from their time playing in the Woodshed in the 1994-95 season. That’s just one of my many favorite pieces of T-Dome history.

One of the things that will make the Tacoma dome even more iconic (in my opinion) is the Warhol Flower being painted on the top of the dome. I know that everyone doesn’t share that opinion, but what I like about it is that it takes something that is already a known quantity and connects it even more deeply to a significant part of our identity as strong artistically oriented city.

Plus, it takes a bit of a risk – which sometimes is needed when trying to create something iconic.

WSDOT put a call out for residents to weigh in on three proposed designs for the clock tower. Today was the deadline for input. I will be interested to see what the feedback is.

I won’t get into the proposed designs, but if you want to read more about them you can check out Matt Driscoll’s article in The News Tribune. Like Matt, I think the clock tower is a good idea, but I’m not sold on any of the current designs either.

Here is the thing about creating something iconic – you can’t let the limitations get in the way.

There are plenty of potential limitations – cost, the limitations of the location, and trying to meet particular deadlines.

Taking a risk is not the same thing as settling for something less the desirable because we lack the will, the imagination, and the determination to create something that really works.

I vote that we take our time.

Matt points out that City Councilman David Boe (an architect) has some ideas, including a city run open design competition – after all Tacoma is full of many great artists, designers, and architects that I believe have the capacity to imagine something that will indeed be iconic.

In my opinion it would be worth the time and effort – let’s get this right.

If at this late hour you still want to weigh in. You can access the survey here - online survey .

Wayfinding on Pacific Avenue and Beyond

At City Council's Economic Development Committee Meeting a couple of weeks ago, City staff presented an update on the Pacific Avenue project and wayfinding.  (A 4MB copy of the handouts is here.)  While we've been tracking the Pacific Avenue project as it continues to move towards construction, we were most interested in the discussion of wayfinding.

As you may recall, we asked you what gateways into downtown you thought were the priority and what destinations visitors were looking for.  And with 130 responses, you answered.  The wayfinding working group went through all the responses, including all the great open ended responses and recommended some locations to the City.  These can be found as the green and red dots on the wayfinding map in the handouts.

Looking forward, we are hoping for continued community support of the wayfinding project.  We believe that helping visitors get easily to their destinations is critical to making us a friendly, welcoming city.  If you have any additional thoughts on wayfinding for visitors, please let us know.

Pacific Avenue Reopened

Commuters can now get from one end of downtown Tacoma to the other on Pacific Avenue, thanks to an earlier than expected opening of our main street in association with Sound Transit's D-to-M Street Project. Vehicles, transit, bicycles and pedestrians all have access to the roadway, including safe crosswalks and new sidewalks.

Beginning Tuesday, March 20, 2012, A Street will be closed between 25th and 26th streets and will not reopen. This section will be re-graded and re-paved to serve as a pedestrian and bicycle underpass.

According to Sound Transit, work still to be completed includes:
- Solidifying the rail bed and lay track from D to M Streets
- Completing the Pacific Avenue rail bridge
- Installing new crossing gates, signals, and other safety equipment along the rail line
- Building a new pedestrian underpass on A Street
- Re-paving South Tacoma Way and make improvements to South C Street
- Providing landscaping to the area

The bridge will also undergo a paint job before it's officially done. The final phase of construction for the project is anticipated to be completed, with trains running to South Tacoma and Lakewood, by fourth quarter 2012.


Local members of the Sound Transit Board prepare to tour the project after the opening of Pacific Ave.


Crews are still doing work on South Tacoma Way but Pacific Avenue is open to all traffic.

D to M Street Construction Update

Sound Transit continues work on the D to M Street Track and Signal Project connecting Sounder trains from Tacoma Dome Station to Lakewood.For the week of 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.

Sound Transit Construction Update

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.

Procession for slain sheriff’s deputy will impact Transit services

The memorial service honoring Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy Kent Mundell will be held Tuesday, January 5th at the Tacoma Dome.

Those interested in attending the service at the Tacoma Dome or viewing the procession in downtown Tacoma are encouraged to utilize off-site parking at Cheney Stadium. There will be no public parking at the Tacoma Dome. Pierce Transit will operate limited free bus service to the Tacoma Dome from Cheney Stadium at 2502 S. Tyler St. Bus service will begin at 10 a.m.; the last bus will leave from Cheney Stadium at 12:30 p.m. Buses will make return trips immediately following the conclusion of the memorial service.

Beginning at 10 a.m. the memorial procession will travel north from the Puyallup Fair and Events Center along South Meridian, west on River Road, west on Puyallup Avenue, then south on D Street to the Tacoma Dome. The procession honoring Deputy Mundell will impact all traffic and travel - including Pierce Transit bus service on many bus routes, especially in the Puyallup and Tacoma Dome District areas. The Tacoma Dome Station will be closed to all bus traffic between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Please be aware that both Sound Transit and Pierce Transit plan for service modifications:

Tacoma Dome Station
Significant traffic delays and limited access are expected in the Tacoma Dome Station area between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and again when the ceremony ends at approximately 4 p.m. Bus riders should expect significant service delays. Bus, Sounder, and Tacoma Link riders should plan for limited access, heavy traffic and possible delays entering and exiting the parking garage.

Tacoma Link
At approximately 10:30 a.m. during the procession, Tacoma Link will modify service to run between 25th Street Station and Theater District Station, with Tacoma Dome Station temporarily out of service. Tacoma Link will again modify service at approximately 3:30 p.m. to run between 25th Street Station and Theater District Station, with Tacoma Dome Station temporarily out of service when the memorial service concludes. The procession and the majority of exiting traffic will cross the Tacoma Link route just west of Tacoma Dome Station. Riders should expect large crowds and significant delays throughout the day from heavy traffic in the Tacoma Dome area.

Sound Transit
Express Route 574 - There will be no service to Tacoma Dome Station between 10 a.m. and noon during the procession. Passengers wanting to go to the Tacoma area will be dropped off at 10th & Commerce. Significant delays are expected in the Tacoma Dome area between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and again when the ceremony ends at approximately 4 p.m.

Express Route 594 - No service at 24th & Pacific or Tacoma Dome Station between 10 a.m. and noon. Significant delays are expected in the Tacoma Dome area between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and again when the ceremony ends at approximately 4 p.m.

Pierce Transit
41 -No service on Pacific Ave. or Puyallup Ave. from 21st to Portland Ave.
42 - No service on Pacific Ave., Puyallup Ave. or “D”/McKinley St. from S.21st to E. 34th & McKinley
402 – No service on Meridian or 2nd/3rd St. from S. 15th to Valley Ave.
409 – No service on East Main from Meridian to 15th St.
500 – No service on Pacific Ave. or Puyallup Ave. from 21st to Portland Ave.
501 – No service on Pacific Ave. or Puyallup Ave. from 21st to Portland Ave.

LeMay Museum Moving Forward?

Phase I of the Harold E. LeMay Museum is looking for funding opportunities for the $28,441,070 project.

Yesterday representatives from the LeMay Museum asked the City Council’s Economic Development Committee to consider financing support for the museum through the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 108 loan program allows CDBG Entitlement communities, like Tacoma to borrow money for certain community development activities. The LeMay project qualifies as an economic development activity within the Section 108 program.

The $3,500,000 of Section 108 loan proceeds will be leveraged with New Market Tax Credits, a conventional loan from US Bank and equity to build phase I of the LeMay Museum on a site provided by the City of Tacoma near the Tacoma Dome.

Phase I, which will begin the permit process this spring, is anticipated to create 90 jobs and will consist of:

• 150,000 square foot Collector Car Center displaying 600 cars


• 8 Galleries


• Theater in the round


• 1 kilometer road displaying vehicles and exhibits


• Café


• Banquet hall


• Councours Club


• Club Auto


• Education Center with library and classrooms


• Auto maintenance facility


• Four-acre show field

The museum anticipates future private retail development and a dining complex housing a multiplex theater.

The full council will hear the financing proposal at the April 15th City Council meeting.

REGISTER NOW for 2009’s First City Center Lunch

Friday, Jan. 16th, 11:30 (registration) 12:00-1:15 (program)
at Pacific Grill’s New Event Center, 1530 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402

Don’t be left out in the cold…the Winter City Center Luncheon will keep you up-to-date on new developments and events downtown. This quarter’s luncheon will feature presentations on:

• The University of Washington Tacoma’s Joy Building renovation
  The Joy Building is the last of the University of Washington Tacoma’s campus heritage buildings located along Pacific Avenue to be renovated. Upgrading the Joy Building is the next step in fulfilling UWT’s campus master plan. The renovation will provide additional classroom and faculty office space to support expanded and new degree programs and will serve to transition the campus toward the new 4-year curriculum.
  
• Downtown Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Improvements
  Representatives from the Tacoma Police Department will discuss CPTED improvements proposed for Fireman’s Park, University of Washington Tacoma and the Tacoma Art Museum. The premise of CPTED is that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the incidence and fear of crime, a reduction in calls for police service and to an increase in the quality of life for residents.
  
• Sound Transit Sound Improvement Project in the Dome District
  A Sound Transit representative will describe the proposed Sounder D to M Street ignal and track improvements in the Dome District, which will extend Sounder commuter rail service to stations in South Tacoma and Lakewood. A citizens advisory committee is currently working with Sound Transit staff to approve right of way width and track height as the new rail line crosses through the Dome District.
  
• Preview of Tollefson Plaza’s Lunar New Year Celebration
  Join the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber to ring in the Lunar New Year and celebrate Tacoma’s Asian communities. The Lunar New Year, celebrated by communities across Asia is a time for renewal and a chance to welcome and celebrate the year to come. Tacoma’s Lunar New year celebration in Tollefson Plaza will kick off on January 30th at 5:00 p.m. with a traditional dragon dance and food from Asian cultures that celebrate this occasion.

Register on line at www.tacomachamber.org or contact Janice at the Chamber janiceh@tacomachamber.org, 253.627.2175

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

Dome District Stakeholders Comment on Sound Transit Plans

A committed group of business owners and community members concerned about the future of the Dome District has been meeting regularly over the past few months with the Sound Transit Design Team to review proposed designs of the Sounder comuter train extension from D Street to M Street.

For more information about the D to M Street Extension please visit the Hillside Development Council website

In Mid-November the citizens group sent the following memo to Sound Transit articulating their concerns about the process.

_________________________________________
November 13, 2008

To: Sound Transit

From: Citizen of Tacoma

Re: Sounder Train, D Street to M Street Extension

Over the past couple of months a number of citizens have been meeting with the Sound Transit Design Team and City of Tacoma representatives for the design review of the extension of the Sounder Train from D Street to M Street. During this period a number of issues have been revealed which are summarized in this memo.

The issues and comments include:

1. The community and local groups defined a list of 6 general principles to consider in the design of the extension. These were submitted at the first meeting of the group. It appears that the Design Team and Sound Transit are not taking these general principles seriously. It is the strong recommendation that these “general guiding principles” become the committed “design criteria” for the project.

2. A number of key elements may have affected the intent of the “Term Sheet” that was signed by the City of Tacoma and Sound Transit last year. It is recommended that the City of Tacoma/City Council review this “Term Sheet” to determine if it needs to be revisited. The grades and impacts proposed by Sound Transit certainly seem to have changed a number of factors in the agreement.

3. The design seems only to respond to the rail needs, whereas the primary design issue needs to be the people affected by this extension through the emerging urban area.

4. Meeting notes were taken by a Sound Transit scribe and these notes were to be converted to minutes of the meetings. The first meeting minutes were submitted to the group at the second meeting with no prior review. Before the third meeting the citizens reviewed the minutes and responded to a number of erroneous statements in the minutes. To date:

a. The first meeting minutes have not been submitted to the group with corrections noted by the citizens (see attachment).

b. No minutes of the second and third meetings have been distributed.(The minutes were received by email midday today so there is no time to review the minutes prior to the meeting.)

5. The tenor of the meetings has not been consistent:

a. At the first meeting the Sound Transit design team wanted to rush to design judgment and have the citizen group’s blessing on what Sound Transit was presenting. The citizens distributed the “general guiding principles” and a couple of diagrams suggesting that these principles should be the basis of design.

b. The second meeting seemed to be an attempt by the Sound Transit design team to be sensitive to the citizens’ design issues. The dialogue was somewhat encouraging.

c. The third meeting turned the discussions 180 degrees. The presentations were blunt responses to the needs of the rail, with impacts to grades and streets being more serious than previously thought. The Sound Transit design team did not appear to be working toward a people/urban friendly solution.

6. This memo is the results of a number of community gatherings since the last Sound Transit design team/citizens meeting.

7. A number of key questions have surfaced:

a. What should be done about the closing of A Street and what is the mitigation?
b. Why is South C Street now being closed?
c. Why are the potential problems of the at grade crossing at East D Street not being addressed d. What should be done at Pacific Avenue? The group is now told that Pacific Avenue will be lower almost twice as far as indicated at the time of the Term Sheet.

8. There may be other considerations that need to be addressed in this project:

a. Should more grade separations be considered? (i.e. A Street, C Street)
b. What about the impacts of the trains through the rest of the City as it moves through South Tacoma? Recent articles have pointed out some serious concerns about safety along the entire route.

Action Steps that Citizens believe need to be taken:

1. The City of Tacoma needs an independent “rail specialist” and independent “urban design team” to address the concerns of the City and the community that are not high priorities in the design solution by Sound Transit.
2. Sound Transit needs to provide approved minutes of all the meetings, with the first draft of the minutes well in advance of the next meeting day.
3. The three tiers of meetings that are outlined in the “Term Sheet” need to be coordinated. Information from the “Project Management Team” and the “Executive Oversight Committee” need to be transmitted to the Design Team citizens group. Perhaps a citizen of the City needs to be represented on these committees.
4. Information with complete backup data needs to be shared early with all participants so that consensus can be achieved with clear understanding.

The citizens believe that a collaborative approach that really addresses the impacts on the urban area and the quality of life for its community can be achieved. We just need to reorder the priorities.

Attachments:
1. General Guiding Principles
2. Meeting #1 Minutes with citizen comments in red


End of Memo.

Extending the Sounder to Lakewood…Why You Should Care

Although there isn’t much for Pierce County in Sound Transit’s recently passed Proposition 1, Sound Transit construction is headed our way. The proposed extension of the Sounder Commuter line through the Dome District and on to Lakewood will define how the Dome District develops in the years to come.

Although it may not be readily evident, the underutilized Dome District has great potential to redevelop into an active, exciting urban neighborhood on par with Portland’s Pearl District and Vancouver’s Yaletown. Our Dome District is at the nexus of multiple transportation corridors linking the north and south Puget Sound. Amtrak, Sounder, Link light rail, freight rail, Tacoma Dome station park and ride for local and commuter buses, ramps for the I-705 and I-5 freeways and the connection point to the long awaited Water Ditch and Prairie Line pedestrian and bike trails all connect through the District.

Currently, hundreds of people pass through and nearby the Dome District daily, creating a great transit oriented development opportunity; if only we create an urban environment that attracts these would-be customers and residents to stay, shop, live and play. The decisions made in the near future about the Sound Transit extension will set the path for how the Dome District can and will develop in the future.

The D to M street track and signal improvement alignment designed by Sound Transit will send the Sounder through the heart of the Dome District at-grade, with the exception of a raised grade-separated crossing at Pacific Ave. According to Sound Transit, the challenging topography of the Dome District combined with the grade limitations and sightline line requirements for both vehicles and trains restrict the design of the route. Consequently, the proposed $6 million project will bi-sect existing parcels, close South ‘C’ and ‘A’ Streets, define the route by which the Water Ditch Trail enters downtown Tacoma, and create at grade railroad crossings at East ‘D’ and East ‘C’ Streets.

Ultimately, project will redirect intercity passenger trains between Tacoma and Nisqually from the circuitous BNSF freight line along the coast to a passenger oriented inland route. The new routing will enable WSDOT to operate two additional round trip Cascades trains from Portland to Seattle and Sound Transit’s Sounder to extend service to Lakewood. The project will reduce travel time by 6 minutes between Portland and Seattle as well as avoid freight traffic interference through two single-track tunnels and port activities along the current route. Ultimately, Amtrak services will relocate to the newly constructed Freighthouse Square station in Tacoma providing direct access to Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail, and Link light rail to downtown Tacoma.

Given these benefits, is the proposed design of this project really worth sacrificing the potential transit orient development of the Dome District into an active urban environment?