Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of January 15, 2013

Council District 2 Candidate Interviews
Interviews of applicants to take Jake Fey’s empty City Council District 2 seat will take up most of this week’s study session. Each of the seven applicants will have three minutes to explain why they want the job, why they would be better than the other six candidates, and what they believe the City’s priorities should be. Then the council will have a chance to ask questions, before conferring in closed-door executive session. It’s possible the Council could come back with a motion to nominate one of the candidates as early as tomorrow evening’s council meeting.

South Tacoma Way Improvements
On the consent agenda this week, we see a resolution accepting grants from the Federal Highway Administration and the Washington State Transportation Administration Board for $2,194,196 and $1,495,500, respectively. That $3,689,696, along with $341,412 in City funds, will pay for asphalt overlay and other improvements to South Tacoma Way from South 43rd to 47th, and South 56th to 66th.

Other improvements funded would include

 
• New transit stop pads and transit shelters at existing stops.

 
• Replacement of hazardous sidewalks and new sidewalks and amenities where necessary.

 
• Streetlighting, a midblock pedestrian signal, and upgrades to pedestrian traffic signals.

 
• Landscaping.

 
• Construction of a segment of the Historical Water Ditch Trail.

 
• Reconstruction of driveways and installation of curb ramps for ADA compliance.

 
• Bike lanes.

Foss Waterway Development Authority
A resolution on this week’s agenda would approve the Foss Waterway Development Authority Master Redevelopment Strategy. This resolution would set the stage for the next phase of development on the Foss, including an updated strategy outlining preferred uses and environmental remediation plans for remaining development sites, the range of preferred uses within the four districts of the waterway, development objectives for each property, and a financial plan for FWDA operations with the goal of self-sufficiency.

The primary source of funding for the FWDA is currently the sale of property. As properties are sold, funding will continue to come from marina rentals and leases and parking revenue from upland property. In the current biennium $85,000 of the $1.8 million FWDA budget comes from the City’s general fund.

The three primary objectives of the FWDA are private investment, public access and environmental restoration for a mixed-use waterfront. Dey elements of the strategy include a focus on finishing what was started in the original vision of the Foss, an entrepreneurial approach to development of the waterfront, completion of the public esplanade and other infrastructure to support private investment, activation of the waterfront with events and activities, identification of parking alternatives, continued attention to environmental remediation, and a concentration of retail or activity uses in nodes.

Johnny’s Seafood
Speaking of development on the Foss, a resolution on this week’s agenda would move forward a deal we wrote about back in November that would keep Johnny’s Seafood on the Foss. This resolution would authorize the sale of 28,000 square feet of City-owned property on the west side of the Thea Foss Waterway to Pacific Seafood (the Johnny’s parent company) for $700,000. The land and the building that sits on it is owned by the City and managed by the Foss Waterway Development Authority, and has been leased as the location for the current Johnny’s Seafood building since 1975. The property needs improvements, and Johnny’s plans to expand. As a part of the deal, Pacific Seafood agrees to complete the public esplanade in front of the building.

2013 LTGO Bonds
An ordinance up for a first reading this week would provide for the issuance of Limited Tax General Obligation (LTGO) Refunding Bonds, up to $45,630,000, to refund or defease certain outstanding LTGO bonds and to pay costs of issuing the bonds. A note in the supporting documents says that “Implementation of the legislation is expected to reduce the City’s debt service costs by approximately $3.58 million ($3.48 million present value) over the life of the Bonds.” We’ll let someone smarter explain how it all works.

Point Ruston
We’ve seen six ordinances on the council meeting agenda for the last three sessions, but each week they’ve been carried over. Those six are back again this week. If passed, they would form LIDs to pay for various utility work at Point Ruston.

Newer, Greener Garbage Truck
The purchase resolution this week would award a contract worth $395,321 for a hybrid-automated side-loader collection truck for solid waste. The new collection truck would replace an older truck, which has exceeded its 10-year life expectancy, and is no longer cost effective to operate. The new hybrid-powered collection truck stores energy from braking to supplement the power of the diesel engine, provides up to 50% fuel savings, reduces brake wear, improves drivability and significantly reduces emissions (an estimated 55 fewer tons of C02 annually).

Other Items
We see a note from the City Clerk that the Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities has filed their 2012 accomplishments. In 2012 the commission worked with City staff and other groups to make Tacoma accessible to all. Some of the accomplishments listed include:

 
• The Scoop, the City Manager’s budget, and other TV Tacoma videos are subtitled.

 
• A commitment from the City Manager to only launch accessible websites.

 
• Created City of Tacoma ADA Web Standards, Web Policy and Accessiblity Statement, and a process for testing website accessibility for people with disabilities.

 
• Retrofits of the Pantages and the Pagoda at Point Defiance to be accessible to individuals with mobility issues.

 
• Inclusion of more specific ADA language in City contracts.

 
• Organized the “Walk the Block” campaign to engage the community in discussion about the importance of keeping accessible parking spaces available for people who need them.

A resolution on this week’s agenda would authorize an agreement with the Tacoma-Pierce County Humane Society, for $463,750 for animal shelter, licensing, and related services for 2013.

Council will hear the final reading of the ordinance proposing changes to the City’s provisional rental license code, as we heard in the first reading last week.