Welcome, Welcome Figure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/