Hotels on the Horizon

With the announcement of McMenamins winning the bid a few weeks ago for the Old City Hall building, everyone seems to be making announcements for new and upcoming hotel projects for Tacoma's future. 

Almost eight years ago, Bellevue's Silver Cloud Inn and Hotels announced that they would be developing an 180 room hotel on Point Ruston, and it has just been announced that construction is finally underway. The delay can be attributed to a slow moving recession coupled with disputes over land-use permits with the City of Ruston. Bellevue's Silver Cloud Inn and Hotels is set to open in 2018 and planned to include one restaurant, a ballroom, meeting rooms, a pool, an exercise room, and a parking garage. 

There are two other major proposals on the table for the future of Tacoma's tourist and business industry. A Chinese investment group, who is still gathering investors, is interested in creating a 24-story, 300 room high rise. It is proposed that this would be a convention hotel along with a condominium complex. The second is coming from Hollander Investments and they have their eyes on the Thea Foss Waterway. Hollander and Investments is planning to build a hotel and an office complex. The first of the buildings to go up will be a nine-story Marriott Residence Inn that will provided 104 rooms. Ground breaking dates have not been set yet, Hollander and Investments are waiting to see how the other proposed hotels do before starting construction. 

If everything goes as planned Tacoma can expect to see five new hotels, at least one more condominium complex, and an increase in office spaces and store fronts in the next few years. Tacoma truly is the City of Destiny and is planning on making a large impact on Tacoma's small business and local economy. 

ead more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article49463305.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article49463305.html#storylink=cpy

Time to Once Again Brush Up on Tacoma Arts Month

As many Tacoma locals know, the month of October brings many wonderful things to the downtown area. While most cities are hunkering down for the winter and the end of tourist season, Tacoma is still buzzing with so many things to offer. A little cold has never bothered the city with the most grit. Tacoma locals are tough, weather going people with a soft side for art. As you might have guessed it is time for Tacoma Arts Month.

While some exhibits are presented year round in local store fronts and in the plethora of museums that the downtown area has to offer, some of the exhibits are only here for the month of October so be sure to see what our local artists have to offer at this year’s festivities. This year’s 76 exhibits are sure to inspire the artist within us all.

Being the 14^th anniversary for the Tacoma Arts Month, it promises to be a spectacular showcase of art, culture, dance and local businesses. One of the highlights to Tacoma Arts Month is that participants get the opportunity to take a studio tour October 17-18 at 35 locations featuring over 57 artists and a unique look into how their art comes to life. The tours run on both days from 11am-5pm. The tour is a free, self-guided tour and offers the opportunity to purchase art pieces from the artists directly. Be sure to get your Tacoma Studio Tour Passport to earn stamps and win prize packages. Tacoma Arts Month online website offers you a customized map with all tour locations to ensure you don’t miss out and have the opportunity to create your own art experience. Information regarding the passport, maps, and all that the month of October has to offer can be found on their website http://tacomaartmonth.wpengine.com/

Tacoma Arts Month kicks off this Thursday, October 1^st at 6pm at the Historic Tacoma Armory. This is a free public event with no RSVP required. The kickoff will be featuring pop-up exhibits, aerial and cirque performances, dance, poetry, and food. This event is being sponsored by Tacoma Arts Commission, SpaceworksTacoma, Historic Tacoma Armory.

Wayfinding at Downtown Gateways

(To go directly to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WayfindingTacoma2 )


While we've talked about wayfinding in the past, it was focused on Pacific Avenue redesign and coordinating work with that construction.  Now we are looking more broadly at wayfinding in the greater downtown.  The goal of wayfinding is not advertising, cheerleading or community building.  Instead the system should help Tacoma's customers and visitors get where they are going.


To that end, the Chamber, Dome District, Go Local, Sound Transit, Tacoma + Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Tacoma Waterfront Association have joined the City in working to identify key locations where visitors enter downtown.  Based on the 10 locations identified, we are now working to determine what destinations visitors would be trying to reach if they arrived via one of these gateways.


This is where you come in.  We have prepared a survey looking at these 10 locations asking for feedback on the likely destinations.  It typically takes about 15 minutes to complete and will be used to help guide the process of deciding which locations for signs as well as what appears on them.


With all the talk of wayfinding over the last couple of decades, we think another 15 minutes is worth it to successfully locate these signs.


The survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WayfindingTacoma2

More Wayfinding Feedback

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.

Wayfinding Open House 11/9: Pacific Avenue & Beyond

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