Power Broker, Power Lunch
On Oct. 17, the Tacoma City Club is having Mark Crisson of Tacoma Public Utilities at its monthly lunch. Mr. Crisson recently announced his retirement from TPU and many in the city will be sad to see him go. He’s been with the department for 29 years and has seen many changes in the city. He will be speaking on going green, renewable energy, energy efficiency, conservation, and climate change.
Doors open at 11:30, with lunch served at noon. There is a fee, but the view alone is worth it on a nice day.
For more info visit the City Club website
12 comments
E Elliot January 10, 2008
Sorry, but I’m contractually obligated to post this comment:
This city doesn’t need more parking. Actually, it might need more parking at the Dome for commuters. But 6th? Downtown? Absolutely not. I’ve never had to park more than 2 blocks away from where I’m going. Seriously, do we want walkable communities or strip-malls? The thing about walkabilility is that sometimes you have to, you know, walk.
Now a bike lane down 6th? I don’t need to “develop an implementation plan in collaboration with the community to bring back to the council by June 30th.” I ride it every day and I can tell you right now that we need it, it’s cheap, and it’s 100% feasible.
Sometimes this town is hard to love.
J jamie from thriceallamerican January 10, 2008
re: bike lane down 6th:
Will it be kept clear of debris? Will it be positioned so as to not put me in danger of having a door opened into me? Will it eat into sidewalk space? I have a hard time imagining where bike lanes would fit on 6th without removing either street parking or the center turn lane. I’m huge on bike-a-bility, but often it’s better just to bike in the traffic lane and assert your lane position as needed to avoid opening doors, etc., even when that may impede traffic.
E Elliot January 10, 2008
Yeah, I hear you, Jamie.
In my judgement, there’s definitely enough room to stick a lane between parking and the road, sixth is pretty freaking wide (as are most streets in Tacoma). As far as doors are concerned, I think (or I like to delude myself into thinking) that a bike lane (especially when it’s got two lines, ie one on the parking side as well as the traffic side) makes people think twice about opening their car door without looking. I still tend to hug the left side of bike lanes when riding by parked cars.
Drivers in Tacoma are some of the worst I’ve ever seen for in their relationship with bikes, in terms of cutting people off, aggressively passing, yelling bigoted slurs at cyclists (seriously), etc. In my mind, more infrastructure for bikes = more legitimacy.
D Derek staff January 10, 2008
I do not see the proposal on any of the future agendas. Please point to the link.
We would’ve… but it’s not online yet.
B Ben January 10, 2008
1. Build a citywide streetcar system to connect the downtown, the neighborhoods, and the neighborhood business districts (implement Streetcar Task Force recommendations).
4. Create an independent parking enterprise fund. 5. Charge users for on-street parking. 6. Use market price to regulate demand (15% vacancy rate=market price). 7. Build parking supply on periphery of downtown using revenue from parking system. 8. Consider eliminating parking minimums in zoning requirements.2. Build a citywide bicycle/pedestrian system using trails and the existing street rights of way. 3. Integrate #1 and #2 into a citywide multi-modal transportation system (buses, rail, bikes, cars, streetcars, pedestrians).
I’m all for #1 and #8. Living in one of the downtown apartment/condo buildings, I’m always seeing vacant spots that probably just didn’t need to be created in the first place.
I also see a need for a streetcar system if Tacoma has any hope of achieving a “walk-able” status. Right now, it’s not feasible to ask residents to park at home (or in the Dome garage) and use public transit/walk the majority of their trips. The link just doesn’t service a wide enough area, and the steep hills are a turnoff to many people (especially if you need to carry a shopping bags/briefcase.)
E Elliot January 10, 2008
The other impediment to walkability downtown is the massive “dead zones” where there are only parking lots and vacant buildings, making things that people would want to walk between spread out (ie. restaurants are down on pacific and the theaters are up the hill). There should needs to be greater density of businesses downtown before people aren’t just going to hop in their car to get to their next destination. BTW, parking scarcity actually helps keep people from doing this…
B Ben January 10, 2008
Elliot,
I think you’re pointing out a “chicken and egg” problem. Right now there is a decent variety of restaurants downtown considering how many people I normally see in there (on my nightly dog walks).
Do we try to force businesses to come in first? Or, is it a better idea to improve the transit between neighborhoods, making it easier to get downtown (or to stadium, or to 6th Ave.)?
Parking scarcity is going to happen as the city grows downtown, that’s just a matter of fact. I like the idea of progressively solving the problem from the beginning, not scrambling once it becomes a major issue.
E Elliot January 10, 2008
Ben, I definately see where you’re coming from. I’m definately a proponent of ways to get people downtown, and I love the idea of a streetcar. I guess I just feel like the whole parking issue is getting a disproportionate amount of time and attention given that downtown still is largely empty, and there are other ways to attract commerce downtown (like tax incentives, street-cars, bulldozing the mall, etc).
I feel like there’s an implication in these conversations that a reason we can’t get business downtown is that there’s no parking, which to me is complete hogwash, and quite frankly a sad exercise in rationalizing why DT Tacoma still feels like a ghost-town. That’s what I get frustrated when parking comes up… But lets be clear, we’re on the same side here, and I want downtown to be vital as much as anyone here.
G gritcitygirl January 10, 2008
the parking proposal may be about parking but it is linked to a larger plan for comprehensive transportation in tacoma. the city manager has come up with a decent proposal that encompasses streetcars, bikes, and walking. this is the first step in the right direction.
R rich January 10, 2008
did we all forget about how the parking requirement is screwing any sensible commercial developement downtown………..
D drizell January 11, 2008
I am not wildly enthusiastic about any of the proposals except for the streetcar. I’m disappointed, and yet not surprised, that the Council will only ‘consider’ and not ‘take action’ to rid Tacoma of its cumbersome minimum parking requirements. I’m sure there are some key individuals with ex parte access to the City Council that would stop any such progressive proposal from becoming a reality. I’m not wildly enthusiastic about parking garages on the periphery, either. Tacoma is a city with a lot of talk and hype and little action. I honestly predict that the old ways of thinking will influence the City Council’s decision and Tacoma won’t be any closer to becoming a walkable city in twenty years than it is now.
R rich January 11, 2008
drizell, I hate to say it I agree………..the old way of thinking in this town is going to plague us for many decades to come…….it’s really sad……and as opportunities come and go, so does the town……