Questions Re UWT Hood Corridor Plans
The UWT Hood Corridor open house was this Monday; a chance for the campus and the Tacoma community to see proposed plans for improvements to the stretch of the Prairie Line Trail that runs through the UWT campus. Glossy artists’ renderings of the three versions of upgrades are impressive improvements on what’s there now, all with walking paths, benches, open spaces and attractive stormwater management systems. They’re very pretty plans.
The News Tribune’s Peter Callaghan, however, has some valid questions, which he raises in an article today. Callaghan challenges the plans as lacking on two fronts: bikes and history.
Bikes – The proposed plans aren’t in keeping with the Prairie Line trail’s intended use as a bike corridor. UWT staff admit as much.
History – The proposed designs fail to pay adequate homage to the industrial legacy of the space, and its historical importance as the railroad terminus.
The next date on the project calendar is a March presentation to the UW Architectural Commission, followed by approval of a concept, and establishment of phase one. That gives the design team about a month to consider addressing concerns raised by the public. It’s exciting to see this space turned into a more inviting and attractive corner of downtown Tacoma, but Callaghan’s article raises some valid concerns about the space and its meaning to the public, both in terms of form and function. What do you think? Turning a critical eye on proposed plans. Are you hoping to see a change of heart on bicycles? On incorporation of industrial and/or historical design elements? Maybe something else entirely?
Read Peter Callaghan’s full article from The News Tribune.
Link to the December presentation of design concepts (with pretty pictures).
Previously from Exit133: UWT Hood Corridor Project Community Forum.
Filed under: biking-tacoma, prairie-line-trail
11 comments
D Doug February 2, 2012
I was at the Hood Corridor meeting, and I would agree that I am not comfortable with the way Bikes are kept out of the corridor on the three plans submitted…that HAS to change.
I would say that the Rail Spur option (1 of the 3 presented) did a nice job tying the railroad aspect of the Hood Corridor into the project. Perhaps it could also include historic pictures of the rail spurs so we can easily tie where we stand…with what was once there.
T tacoma1 February 2, 2012
As I remember, UWT was going to place all of their smoke break areas on the backside of their buildings since you aren’t supposed to smoke in front of buildings anymore.
The building backsides of course are alongside the Prairre Line Trail. So anyone walkIng or riding a bike will be traveling thru a cloud of tobacco smoke.
J Jesse February 2, 2012
1. Tacoma has $80m for rail from ST
2. Tacoma was built around the Prairie Line (S Tacoma, downtown, old town, Ruston)
3. There are tracks, right of way, land owned, etc there.
4. There are commuter trains (biodiesel) that run on standard width rails.
5. Do the math
T tacoma1 February 3, 2012
huh?
J Jesse February 3, 2012
I personally think the trail should be on side of a streetcar line from South Tacoma to downtown to Foss Waterway to old town to Ruston. Aren’t the rails already mostly still there? Aren’t the right of ways already owned by the city? Doesn’t Tacoma have $80m for rail? Wouldn’t streetcar be super cheap (compared to alternatives) on that line than creating it elsewhere? Wasn’t Tacoma built around that line and therefore it’s an important passage? Why not re-use the tracks?
Am I missing something here? This seems like the obvious thing to do with this passage.
J Jesse February 3, 2012
… and wouldn’t it make Tollefson Plaza a transportation nexus?
J Jesse February 3, 2012
Couldn’t the city put a commuter streetcar on those tracks and use some of the $80m from Sound Transit to complete the entire trail now instead of it being done piece by piece for decades?
I just don’t get why this isn’t being done. Please enlighten me.
J johnesherman February 3, 2012
Good ideas with stipulation ‘not another Residential Taxpayers funded’ Taxpayers forever expense.
T tacoma1 February 3, 2012
“… and wouldn’t it make Tollefson Plaza a transportation nexus?”
I believe that Is part of the plan to do just that, but for pedestrians. The Pacific Ave redo ends down by Tollefson and the Prairie Line Trail goes right there too and then on to dock street.
As to a rail line there, if I remember correctly, this right of way that is being used for this is relatively short. Maybe a mile is all.
J Jesse February 4, 2012
Wasn’t there a streetcar along the current rail lines on Shuster/Ruston Way in the 30’s? Where were they and how’d they do that? I wonder what the route was… maybe it’s time for a trip to Merconi’s to take a look at the old streetcar map.
A AreteTacoma February 4, 2012
I think Tacoma did a bad job of lobying for its piece of Sound Transit 2. $80 million of matching funds is nothing when you know the city dosen’t have the finances to come up with the first million. They could have promised a bazillion dollars and it would have been the same result. Meanwhile I’m pretty sure Seattle is not paying a penny for the construction of their First Hill streetcar, which is entirely within city limits and not a link in a regional system like the link light rail or Sounder.