Tacoma City Council Meeting - Feb 24th, 2009
The Tacoma City Council meeting this evening was a relatively uneventful affair. With absolutely no public comment we’d almost think it was the wrong evening. That said, here’s what happened:
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 37736 authorizes the execution of a conservation easement agreement; and accepting $147,793 from the United States Department of the Interior through the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, for enhancements made to the Pantages Theater. The money would be received by the BCPA and transferred to the City to help pay down costs related to the recent lobby expansion.
By accepting the funds, the City agrees to a 50 year conservation easement agreement. This agreement protects activities that would affect historically significant components of the project, but would not encumber future enhancements.
Resolution No. 37737 would’ve authorized the execution of an agreement with George Orr, III and Kathleen Ryan, d.b.a. The Orion Partnership, in the amount of $306,000, plus an additional $15,000 if necessary, for a cumulative total not to exceed $321,000, budgeted from various funds, for consulting services related to high performance and strategic planning efforts.
It was pointed out by Deputy Mayor Anderson that we’ve spent a lot of money with this firm over the years. While the services delivered and continuity has been good over the years, it may be good for the City to consider putting these services out to bid.
Councilmember Ladenburg asked if the timing was right for such a big contract given all the other cutbacks.
Councilmember Fey then asked to table the resolution until some time after the Government Performance Committee had an opportunity to scrutinize the contract. He asked that they look at past performance to ensure that this is the right thing to do.
The ordinance was sent back to committee.
FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27742 amends the Municipal Code to reclassify the property located at 1101 North Pearl Street from a mix of “C-1” Neighborhood Commercial District and “R-2” One-Family Dwelling District to only a “C-1” Neighborhood Commercial District for the development of a gas station, automatic car wash, and convenience store, to include two underground storage tanks totaling approximately 42,000 gallons.
Ordinance No. 27785 authorizes the execution of a federal railroad administration grant agreement with the State of Washington, in the amount of $754,600; accepting, depositing in, and appropriating said sum from the Tacoma Rail Mountain Division Capital Projects Fund, for track upgrades on the Tacoma Rail Mountain Line.
Ordinance No. 27786 authorizes the execution of a grant agreement with the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, in the amount of $17,000; accepting, depositing in, and appropriating said sum from the Community and Economic Development Special Revenue Fund, for historic preservation analysis.
Ordinance No. 27790 provides for the improvement of 82 sidewalks abutting certain properties in various locations throughout the City by constructing or reconstructing the sidewalks for public safety and convenience; and directing the levy of special assessments according to the benefits upon the respective abutting properties.
You may remember that that City Council once identified a number of sidewalks as hazardous and in need of replacement. The abutting property owners are responsible for the replacement according to state law. This is the next step in fixing those sidewalks and assessing the costs to the property owners.
Finally, Mayor Baarsma gave a “shout out” to the University of Puget Sound men’s basketball team for their 23 and 2 record. It’s an exciting time for the team as it heads into NCAA Div 3 tournament play. Nice work.
Filed under: City Council, Legislation, City Government
4 comments
J J. Cote February 25, 2009
I’m having a bit of trouble understanding what was changed in Resolution 27742. The NE corner of N 11th & Pearl is already a gas station. Has been for decades.
The SE corner is a parking lot and a Discount Tire Store which could hardly be confused with a “Single Family Residence”.
The complete West side of N. Pearl Street is an enormous stack of Apartment homes, inhabited, BTW with the City’s best, most well-informed voters, So, I guess my question is, where are they building this gas station/beer outlet/cigarette outlet???
J Jake February 25, 2009
“The applicant proposes a major modification of REZ2008-40000109589 to request a variance to development standards in
order to allow a car wash opening oriented toward a “R-2” One Family Dwelling District. Tacoma Municipal Code (TMC) 13.06.510(E) states that car washes shall not have openings facing residential districts. The applicant proposed such an opening with the original rezone, and now is requesting the variance to allow the site to be developed consistent with that rezone. The site plan, uses, building design and orientation, as well as the conditions of the original rezone are not proposed to change.”
It sounds like part of the gas station property is zoned R2 and they want to expand/add a car wash. The original rezone was put in but not the variance as state above. So it sounds like they are just going in a doing it all at once instead of doing 2 seperate land-use changes.
F Frizzlebee February 26, 2009
It amazes me that we can spend time rezoning gas stations as gas stations, but Bed & Breakfasts are in danger of being shut out of Tacoma. [pause while I step onto my soapbox] God forbid that we support the draw of tourism to Tacoma and instead indulge the gluttony of corporate America. The financial impact of people spending $10 to wash their car in the summer will far outweigh the benefit of year-round support of deep-pocketed tourists.
I say “pooh.”
J J. Cote February 28, 2009
Sounds like a valid “soap-box” topic, Frizzlebee. I adore soap-boxes. I would much rather support a fine B&B instead of a Corporate, view-blocking, box of-a-building Hotel any day.
As for another $10 car wash, who needs’em? It’s called a torn towel, an old bucket and a squirt of Dawn. Park on the front lawn to keep the grease out of the Sound and let the youngest child operate the spray hose. This idea should somehow be incorporated into a theme park.