February 19, 2014 · Exit133

A Safe, Clean, Attractive Tacoma

The City of Tacoma has a couple of initiatives going right now to make Tacoma a more attractive place to live and do business.

Code Compliance

City of Tacoma Code Compliance staff are out and about in neighborhoods all over the City, conducting a visual survey of properties along Tacoma's main arterials. Inspectors are looking for opportunities to improve the appearance of the city's main thoroughfares through better code compliance.

The hope is that by notifying property owners of potential "opportunities" for better compliance, those property owners can proactively take steps to improve the attractiveness of their properties and neighborhoods, and thereby of the City as a whole.

When inspectors find an opportunity to improve compliance, a postcard will be mailed to the property owner, informing them of the problem, and resources available to address it. (Read more in the full press release.)

Last year the City conducted a similar survey, with a focus on Tacoma's business districts, sending postcards to business owners with compliance issues.

Inspectors will be out through March 14, looking for opportunities to make Tacoma more safe, clean, and attractive. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Tacoma Murals Project

Tacoma's Murals Project, which has been around since 2010, is another effort by the City to support efforts to make Tacoma's neighborhoods more attractive places to live and do business. The murals program combats blight and vandalism by covering otherwise blank and less attractive walls with neighborhood-specific works of art.

The program matches experienced artists with community groups interested in having a mural in their neighborhood. The project is currently looking for both artists to lead the mural projects, and community groups interested in collaborating on the design of a mural to reflect positive themes from their neighborhood.

Community groups should have a specific site in mind for the mural, and be ready to organize community conversations about a locally appropriate subject for the mural, as well as preparing the site for the artwork, and maintaining the art once it is complete. The murals must be located on public or commercial walls visible to the public. The City will fund the artist and art supplies for the mural.

21 murals have been completed so far, and the City expects another five this year. The timeline for this year's projects would have artists working on the murals this summer.

Interested artists and community groups can learn more, and find a link to apply to the program in the full Tacoma Murals Project press release.

Is anyone else suddenly feeling inspired to do a little neighborhood spring cleaning?

Filed under: Arts, Neighborhoods, Get Involved, City Government, City Services

12 comments

fred davie February 19, 2014

I've seen some of the murals. I think they are ugly and make Tacoma look like a ghetto.
- Xeno February 20, 2014
  
  I don't think I've ever heard you like anything that is going on in Tacoma. Must sort of suck to hate everyone and everything around you.
  - fred davie February 20, 2014
    
    I only blog about government fraud, waste, and abuse.... as in the publically funded "art" described in the story. Your postings, OTOH are generally just personal attacks, insults and ad hominem arguments. All completely pointless.
    - xeno February 20, 2014
      
      Clearly your taste in murals is about government fraud, waste, and abuse. Don't kid yourself FD. I only like to point your own hypocrisy for not standing up for anything you believe in other than on the internet. It is also the reason you probably have 5 billion thumbs down on The New Takhoman. Just say'n.
      - fred davie February 21, 2014
        
        I'm not going to change my commentary because it displeases you or anybody else. If you don't like reading it Xeno...then stop reading it. My god, what are you like 12 years old?
        
        Xeno February 21, 2014
        
        You have freedom of speech but not freedom of stupidity. Expect me to continue to comment off your amusing conspiracy theories.
        
        fred davie February 21, 2014
        
        FYI: No Personal Attacks. Attack the writing, not the writer. Avoid anything personal. Don’t ‘out’ somebody as [fill in blank here] just for the sake of advancing your position. A violation of the above four guidelines will result in the comment being deleted from the site. What follows below may not get you deleted (but it might) and is more about honor and etiquette. Exit 133 posting guidelines
Sid February 19, 2014

Tacoma does not have code enforcement, they have code education. The Lincoln District has been a mess for years, full of code violations. Tacoma does not ticket, they educate the uninterested business owners and hope they clean up their act.
nwcolorist February 21, 2014

One way to spruce up the arterial streets is to create an environment where people want to come and use the amenities. Businesses naturally want their shops and neighborhood to to attractive. That takes $$ which is provided by increasing sales. Get the businesses and property owners together and really listen to what they have to say. Then implement their ideas. Good things can happen with a minimum of taxpayer funds.
- Sid February 22, 2014
  
  That works well where the ears are open to suggestions. In the Lincoln district it will not work, not yet. Ticketing will, like in other cities with real code enforcement. If the ticket is not paid, a lien is placed on the property. If a property owner racks up enough tickets, they lose the property, period. This is the only way people understand, after all other means have been exhausted, in the wallet. It shouldn't be this way, but it is. Winning hearts and minds goes out the window after years of trying to get property owners to clean up their act.
Jesse February 21, 2014

These are nice little things that the city can do. However, the big things like revamping streets, creating B&O free enterprise zones to attract more businesses, and cutting red tape for new and historic (re)development projects will take a new City Charter. Amp up the city with a strong accountable Mayor, full time City Council members, and a utility and infrastructure division that can be used as an actual asset to a stronger Tacoma. Up the utility rates of the peripheral communities to pay for roads and business tax breaks. Impose parking maximums in non-business district strip malls with parking moats. I only bring this up here because murals and code enforcement are nice but they attempt to cure a symptom and not the actual problem.
Published Author RR Anderson February 21, 2014

how about spanking our daily newspaper to pick up after their litterbugs?