New Offices and a Drive Thru on Ruston Way?
A public notice came across our desks today that raised our eyebrows. Its a proposed development on Ruston Way that includes two buildings. They’ve been working on this for a while. The application was originally submitted in December 2005 and it was completed in August 2007. According to the notice:
The primary building will be 3-stories, with 2 levels of office use and a level of parking and will be approximately 12,250 square feet. The second building will be a 1,200 square foot, single story, coffee shop with a drive through. The development will include new crosswalks connecting the site to the Ruston Way waterfront and other public access features. The site will be developed with approximately 82 parking spaces to support the proposed uses and provide some of the required parking for existing uses along the waterfront.
It sits on the narrow piece of land across the street from, and just before one gets to, Harbor Lights. Hmmm…. development on that side of the street could be a good thing.
Link to Public Notice (pdf)
Thank you, Jake
Filed under: Developments
17 comments
N NSHDscott April 3, 2008
When I walked Ruston Way with the wife and pup a month ago, I couldn’t help but notice all the land ripe for development on the inland side of the street. It’s pretty ugly there. As Point Ruston grows, property values and use of this road will increase and developments will become more feasible.
The railroad tracks make the property fairly shallow, which in my mind makes it perfect for creating a super-cool walkable marketfront. I’d love to see 2-3 story shops and offices on the ground level, high-rent view condos, apartments, and offices on the upper floors, and openings to the road at semi-regular intervals to access parking hidden behind the buildings.
Instead of allowing developers to add piecemeal, how about the City thinking ahead and writing a master plan? Perhaps one that maintains a sidewalk of decent width and some street landscaping? And then barring further development on the water side (with possible exceptions) to preserve the view.
J Jake April 4, 2008
I wonder if there will be a sidewalk along the street? It would be nice to one day have retail/residential all along that side of Ruston Way but the last time a building was built on that side they did not include a sidewalk.
C Claudia Riedener April 4, 2008
Drive through? Gee – that’s so last century…
Ruston way could be incredible if it were car free. As is, well, not so much.
J jamie from thriceallamerican April 4, 2008
Yes! Car-free Ruston Way! Some bike rickshaws would be cool, shuttle-buses would be tolerable, but it would be awesome to get rid of the cars…
M Mofo from the Hood April 4, 2008
Is there ONE building on Ruston Way that needs to be there?
Every square inch of nature was already developed long before any of us arrived on the Tacoma scene.
Some people feel the need to tame every square inch of nature and remake it with housing, or steel and concrete whatever.
For all the talk about the “dead zones” in downtown, I would hope to see plans for future construction developments steered by whomever toward the specific business districts set aside long ago for such projects.
T Thorax O'Tool April 4, 2008
I’m down for some sidewalks, some landscaping and some master-plan action. Open-air markets might do wonders.
Only thing is, there ought to be 2 ironcast provisions:
1) Nothing over 3 stories, NO EXCEPTIONS (property owners in Old Town will agree)
2) A certain percentage of the land must be made parks as well (don’t want it to be too unbalanced, after all this isn’t Seattle)
V Vidiot April 4, 2008
Some one asked me the other day….
Will the North End Neighborhood Council be sucessful in halting the Sperry Ocean Dock project?
The three biggest complaints are pollution, noise and bright lights and a condo would address all three of the main complaints.
If so, would the property owner kick out the other boats and build a condo building the size of the grain silos?
One would hope not.
T Thorax O'Tool April 4, 2008
Wait… a Condo project the size of TEMCO?
I don’t know the zoning in the area, but you can freaking see TEMCO from 1st and Tac ave peeking above the hill. I can only imagine the fit those living over by the Vista Del Ray area would throw.
Got a link to said proposal/idea?
All I know about Sperry is the proposal to add more ships.
T The Gulag April 4, 2008
“Is there ONE building on Ruston Way that needs to be there? Every square inch of nature was already developed long before any of us arrived on the Tacoma scene.”
Although I agree with your sentiment Mofo, I can’t help but point out minor technicalities, because that’s the type of a** h*** I am; nothing personal.
That said, most all of the land along Ruston Way, from the smelter to downtown, from the railroad roadbed to the water, is fill. In fact, Ruston Way was originally filled in for a CMSTP&P railway industrial line that went to a car ferry at about N. 49th St.
M Mofo from the Hood April 4, 2008
Gulag, one man arrives on pristine Commencement Bay and sees the foundation for a poison spewing smelter. Another man arrives and sees the future of natural wetlands as a “filled in” foundation for a poison spewing seaport.
My question: Was either site redevelopment needed?
Now that Ruston Way has “filled in” access to the waterfront, is there ONE building on Ruston Way that needs to be there?
M Mofo from the Hood April 4, 2008
Press Release from the MOFO NEWS NETWORK:
Dateline 4-4-08
MNN has recently learned that proposed transportation company Tacoma Stagecoach is seeking to build their central headquarters on Ruston Way near Puget Creek. Tacoma Stagecoach will further seek right of way travel access along Puget Creek Trail to Puget Park and beyond to North 33rd and Monroe ST where they propose to build a way station and coffee shop.
When asked for comment, Tacoma Stagecoach visionary MFTH said, “The gulch from Ruston Way to Monroe ST is an underutilized and underserved area.”
S subterranean April 4, 2008
#2 There actually is a “master plan” for Ruston Way, but you will be hard pressed to find it because it was made about 25 years ago. Seriously, people can’t find the materials anymore that that plan requires.
However, the City is updating its shoreline master program, of which Ruston Way is a district, and the Ruston Way Design and Development Concept Plan will be updated in that effort. It just hasn’t gotten much publicity yet. I guess you could say the city is looking back on when they were looking ahead.
T Tacoma (A)roma April 4, 2008
A car-free Ruston way would be GREAT
N NSHDscott April 4, 2008
A car-free Ruston Way would be great, but it’s a pipe dream with Point Ruston going in. Not that I’m against dreaming. Maybe a streetcar/trolley someday?
I’d just be happy to see sidewalks on both sides of the street, the 2-3 story shops/offices/condos/apartments mentioned in #2, and the open-air market feel mentioned in #7.
I can dream of a long, skinny produce/meats/seafood/arts market along there similar to Pike Place Market’s main corridor, but with even better views.
J J. Cote April 7, 2008
Here we are talking about sidewalks and drive thru coffee bars and the City and Metro Parks can’t even get the Chinese Reconciliation Park started and finished. Lets finish one promised project before starting another. I realize that this is private development, but why isn’t this City showing outrage at the neglect of action on CRP? The horrors of what this City did in 1895 continue to be ignored. Lets get this done before we put our efforts into yet another coffee shop.
M Mofo from the Hood April 9, 2008
MFTH @11: “Now that Ruston Way has “filled in” access to the waterfront, is there ONE building on Ruston Way that needs to be there?”
Well, with all the new construction in Ruston and now the possibility of a drive-thru coffee shop, plus all of the current office buildings and the Silver Cloud Motor Inn, I think the probability of increasing car traffic would make this proposal logical:
I think the ONE building on Ruston Way that needs to be there is a gas station—-one that serves domestic petroleum. Exxon is a U.S. owned company.
Buy local. Buy made in the U.S.A. and keep American profit to profit America.
M Mofo from the Hood April 9, 2008
You know, the establishment of a drive-thru coffee shop really sets the precedent for a lot of possibilities.
• Drive-thru food
• Drive-thru banking
• Drive-thru car wash
• Drive-thru pharmacy
ª Drive-thru car emissions testing
A lot of possibilities…