Investing in Community
The fatigue is setting in again. I’m tired of condos. I’m tired of new museums. I was tired of the convention center before it was even done. I never wanted to talk about spires, but I keep mentioning spires. Actually, the truth is that I’m tired of silver bullet solutions that will supposedly raise Tacoma to some new, and generally undefined, level. We aspire to some ‘greatness’ that is recognized by those far and wide. Yet, we don’t seem to care much about what we, the citizens, think about our Tacoma.
Our community is putting some big money into our museums and other destination buildings. The Museum of Glass cost $58 million $48 million (approximately $60 million if you include the bridge). The new TAM building cost $25 million. The Lemay Museum is $50 million into a $140 million campaign to build its grand vision. The city has kicked in a piece of property for it. What will this do for Tacoma? It’ll bring a few more people to the city and money into our economy. It’ll add a bright and slick piece of architecture to an otherwise barren area. Will it bring Tacomans out onto the street more often to meet their neighbors and local businesses? No.
What I wish I had was a reason to visit downtown or other neighborhoods more regularly. Where’s my public market? How about a farmer’s market that I can actually attend? Sorry, Thursdays don’t work for all us commuters. Is Proctor the official farmer’s market for commuters? Where’s my retail core that’ll bring me downtown and allow me to walk from shop to shop? We have UWT and a few shops around it, but beyond its edges, it gets pretty barren – particularly on weekends. Freighthouse Square is a bit… I don’t know. It’s lacking something. Maybe with a little love and some sprucing up, this could be an anchor to something better. As is, it won’t be that. I try. I shop there every once in a while. Where are my public art fairs? I’ve heard several times that all the high end condos going into downtown will really change things here. But while we keep seeing condo construction, we’re only seeing limited commercial or retail advances. Sure, Matador is opening this summer and there’s a new sushi place going in downtown, but is this a huge change or just a minor wave in the fabric of downtown? Will the city look different in five years when all the condo projects are done? Absolutely. Will it be someplace I, the non condo owner, will want to visit? We’ll see. Do I see any changes coming that will get me downtown more often than I go there now? No. Do I understand the City’s vision for our city? Not really.
What would our city look like if we (the collective city, citizen, philanthropic we) were to put a few million dollars into something that could build community? I believe that the dollars spent building our own community self esteem and identity will produce dividends far greater than any museum or spire. Can’t we focus inward a bit before we put even more money into our outward appearances? Where is our vision?
ps – Don’t get me wrong… I still want to hear about condos, museums, and other city happenings.