Tacoma City Business Sneak Peek - Week of May 21, 2012

Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulatory Code Amendments
At this Tuesday’s study session, Council is scheduled to hear a presentation from the planning commission on recommendations for the 2012 Annual Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulatory Code. This round of annual amendments comes in three areas: housing, transportation, and minor amendments and refinements. A public hearing for the proposed amendments is scheduled for this week’s City Council meeting. Read further coverage of 2012 Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulatory Code Amendments from Exit133.

2013-2014 Budget
Also on the agenda for this week’s study session is an overview of the 2013-2014 Biennial Budget Calendar and Process. We know you’re all looking forward to hearing more about that. So are we.

City Council Meeting/Study Session Cancellation
The Tacoma City Council meeting and study session scheduled for Tuesday, May 29, 2012 have been cancelled. That means that the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Happy Memorial Day.

Wetland Conservation Area Grant Application
A resolution on this week’s City Council meeting agenda would authorize the submittal of a grant application to the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, in the amount of $500,000, to acquire open space property within the South Tacoma Wetlands Conservation Area, located in the vicinity of South 52nd and Mullen Streets, for conservation purposes. The Tacoma Daily Index has a good run-down of the grant application, including a note that previous City and County expenditures would be allowed to count to meet the required local match, and the City would not need to put further funds towards the proposed acquisition.

Other Items of Interest
This week we’ll hear the first reading of an ordinance calling for the vacation of the west 20 feet of the Court G right-of-way between South 25th and South 27th Streets, for general use and surface parking associated with the redevelopment of the adjacent Hillside Terrace housing project.

The three ordinances getting their final readings at this week’s City Council meeting are first and final readings, all relating to the formation of various Local Improvement Districts (LIDs) for construction of road and wastewater improvements as needed in the various locations.

Under this week’s purchase resolution we see one item listed: a contract for $192,450, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Tacoma Rail Mountain Division Fund, to increase and extend the contract for continued federally-mandated grade crossing system signal inspections and maintenance through June 30, 2013.