Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of June 25, 2013

Downtown Planning

The City has been working on a master plan for development in downtown, subdivided into three subareas. At this week’s City Council study session, Council will hear a presentation on the status of the South Downtown Subarea Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. 

At Tuesday’s Study Session, Planning and Development Services Department staff will provide an on the status of the South Downtown Subarea Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The update will include a summary of the comments received on the Draft Plan and EIS during the public comment period, implementation strategies and highlights, and an overview of the project’s schedule and next steps. 

Additionally, there will be a scoping meeting for the North Downtown Subarea Plan and EIS this Wednesday, June 26.

Historic Preservation

Also on the agenda for this week’s study session is a presentation on the City of Tacoma’s Historic Preservation Program, including an overview of program activities, history, current initiatives and future plans, as well as a description of key strategies for moving the program forward and raising its effectiveness and public profile, along with a general implementation schedule.

Kellog-Sicker & Pochert Buildings

Speaking of historic preservation, a resolution on this week’s agenda would designate 1110-12 and 1114-15 MLK Jr Way (otherwise known as the Kellogg-Sicker and HC Pochert buildings) as City Landmarks and add them to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places. The buildings aren’t doing much right now, but recently there has been some talk about developing them...

Mr Dahl Drive

The fifth grade class of Lowell Elementary has been working to get a stretch of street near the school named after their former principle, Robert Dahl, who passed away last year. A resolution on this week’s agenda would officially change the name to Mr Dahl Drive. The City received 160 comments, most in favor, but a few against; along with a $2516.22 estimate from the fire department to make the change official. An alternative that was offered, but which is not on the agenda at this point, is a commemorative naming of the street, instead of the full formal name change.

Utility Billing

An ordinance that will get its first reading this week would allow Tacoma Public Utilities customers an additional five days between utility billing and due date. The change, requested by TPU’s Customer Services Division, would give both residential and commercial customers 15 days instead of 10 to allow greater flexibility in paying.

Mental Health

A resolution on the agenda this week would approve the recommendations of the Human Services Commission to allocate $1,716,485 from the Mental Health Fund, for human services programs through the end of 2014.

Final Readings

This week the council will vote on the final readings of three ordinances we heard the first reading of at last week’s Council meeting. This includes the pair of ordinances making annual amendments to Tacoma’s Comprehensive Plan and Municipal Code, and an ordinance making adjustments to the compensation plan for a category of represented employees.

Purchase Resolution

Four items on this week’s purchase resolution:

1. $3,230,354.21, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, for crushed and natural aggregate materials on an as-needed basis from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014, with the option to renew for four additional one-year terms 
2. $2,764,785 budgeted from the Solid Waste Fund, for construction of the Tacoma Landfill Stage 3 Closure Central Area Phase III project;
3. $428,184 budgeted from the Fire EMS and Miscellaneous Special Revenue Funds for 14 Lifepak 15 monitor/defibrillators, accessories, and maintenance; and
4. $500,000, plus sales tax, for a cumulative total of $1,164,655, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, Surface Water Fund, and the Water Fund, to increase the contract for additional work on the North Waterview Street Roadway Repair Project - Specification No. PW11-0617F.

Item 1 would provide various crushed and natural aggregate material, on an as-needed basis, to be used by Street Operations for performing various street maintenance activities, such as production of hot mix asphalt, surface treatments, temporary and permanent repair of streets, and alley maintenance.

Item 2 would fund work to close an eight-acre area of the Tacoma Landfill, including the installation of an impermeable geosynthetic clay liner and an HDPE geomembrane, new landfill gas system piping and extraction wells, storm drainage, and underground electrical. This will complete the capping and closure of the Tacoma Landfill site, which has been filled to capacity. Now that the Central Area is filled, there will be no additional landfilling occurring at the Tacoma Landfill. All municipal solid waste will be transferred to the 304th Street Landfill in Graham. 

Item 3 would replace the monitor/defibrillator equipment used by the Tacoma Fire Department, which is at the end of its lifecycle.

Item 4 would add $500,000 to the budget for repairs to North Waterview Street to cover unforeseen conditions including finding groundwater at a depth not expected; disposal of contaminated soil; and the addition of speed humps, additional ditch clearing, BNSF flagging, and asphalt paving.

Other Items

An item on this week’s consent agenda presents the Assessment Roll for the installation of underground primary electrical distribution, utilities, telephone, and cable TV lines along Stadium Way from the intersection of Stadium Way and Borough Road northwesterly to the dead end, and sets Thursday, July 25,2013, at 1 :30 p.m., as the date for a hearing by the Hearing Examiner.

A final resolution on the agenda this week would authorize a Multi-Family Housing 12-Year Property Tax Exemption Agreement for the development of seven market-rate and affordable rental housing units located at 3412 South G Street in the Lincoln Mixed-Use Center.

​There will be no City Council meeting next week for the 4th of July holiday.