Tacoma City Business Sneak Peek - Week of April 16, 2012

It looks like this week’s City Council study session is shaping up to have plenty of meat, with three items on the agenda aside from the always popular “other items of interest” and “agenda review.” This week’s regular meeting agenda, on the other hand, is relatively short: a handful of resolutions, and a public hearing, but no ordinances.

Critical Areas: Study Session and Public Hearing

First up on this week’s study session agenda, Council will hear more about proposed amendments to the Land Use Regulatory Code regarding the preservation and enhancement of public and private natural areas throughout the city. The Critical Area Preservation Ordinance (CAPO) is the area of the code aimed at providing regulations that guide environmentally sound development to protect and preserve environmentally critical areas such as fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, streams, wetlands, etc. Most of the proposed changes come in response to “growing public interest and desire by citizens to voluntarily participate in the preservation and enhancement of public and private natural areas throughout the City.

This is also the week for the public hearing on the topic. Read more about Critical Areas Preservation code changes from Exit133 this morning.

Priorities and Strategies

Second on this week’s City Council study session is a discussion of “Prioritization of Available Bond Reallocations.” This is a follow-up to a November 1, 2011 presentation (pdf). Prioritization criteria listed in that presentation included honoring commitments, furthering economic development, enhancing results-oriented government, ensuring compliance, leveraging funding from other sources, and moving projects to completion. Projects discussed at that time included the Elks on Broadway garage, the Murray Morgan Bridge, Pt. Ruston Waterwalk, Cheney Parking, Old Town Dock restrooms, Pacific Avenue streetscaping, and others. We’ll see what they have to say five months later, and under the guidance of our new city manager. Staff will also present on “Future Infrastructure Funding Strategies.”

North Downtown Sub-Area Plan

We noted last week a resolution on this week’s agenda requests Council approval to apply to the State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) for a $50,000 grant to help fund a North Downtown Subarea Plan/Environmental Impact Statement.

The sub-area planning/EIS process “… is designed to result in fast tracking revitalization through up front environmental review under the State Environmental Policy Act, planning and design of capital facilities, and planning for infrastructure and neighborhood amenities to support increased density.” If the resolution passes, the CERB decision is expected in mid-May, and if funded, the project would begin in October, with an anticipated completion date of December 2013.

Read more on the proposal, including a map of the third downtown sub-area planning boundaries, previously from Exit133: North Downtown Next for a Sub-Area Plan?

Purchase Resolutions

We don’t have anything as exciting as a robot or a SWAT vehicle on the purchase resolution list this week, but we do have two items up for consideration.

First up: a contract with Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Inc. to increase and extend the contract for software maintenance and repair services for the Fire Department’s Computer Aided Dispatch System. That one comes out of the Fire Special Revenue Fund.

Second: a contract with Wm. Dickson Co. to increase the contract for additional work necessary to complete the relocation of wastewater pipe within Sound Transit’s commuter rail right-of-way. That one comes out of the Wastewater Fund.

Notes on Pugnetti Park

If you’re looking for a way to kill a little time, you might take a minute or two to scan the comments on the petition to save Pugnetti Park included in this week’s full City Council meeting agenda packet (pdf). There are a lot of people saying nice things about the little park, but also some different takes on the last six months in the park’s history. It’s interesting to note the large number of non-Tacomans signing the petition.