Tacoma Municipal Building Space For Rent (Maybe Someday)
At last week’s City Council meeting, Councilmember Boe asked about the availability of other space that could be rented. The conversation last week was over the signing of a lease for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to rent space in the Tacoma Municipal Building, and Boe was curious about whether there might be other opportunities to rent out additional space to appropriate tenants. The short answer is yes. Most likely.
The longer answer was provided in last week’s City Manager’s report, and goes a little something like this: there is additional office space in the Tacoma Municipal Complex, left open with the departure of the Drug Enforcement Agency. We won’t be seeing a “for rent” sign on the windows any time too soon, however; not before staff complete a “space planning analysis” and relocation process designed to increase the overall utilization of the buildings.
The process is under way, including a building efficiency analysis, historical preservation assessment of interior spaces, a risk assessment, and space planning to increase floor space utilization, consolidate customer service and public meeting functions, and other measures to increase overall security. With City functions streamlined, there should be some leasable space, which can generate further revenue.
Staff hope to develop revenue enhancement opportunities through the leasing of space excess to the City’s needs, and use these revenues to offset the costs of improving the overall utilization of the complex.
Perhaps more detail than you need, but perhaps one day soon we’ll see other agencies renting space in the building, bringing more workers downtown. Who’s looking for an office?
Filed under: dowtown-tacoma, On-The-Market
5 comments
F fredo June 18, 2012
They could rent out the spaces currently occupied by Economic Development and Linda Bremer. Those folks aren’t providing any tangible benefit to the taxpayers.
R RR Anderson June 18, 2012
Are any of those spaces available through the Tacoma Art Space Works program? I would like to open an ‘apolitical’ (wink,wink) cartoon office in the city building.
E Erik B. June 18, 2012
Yes, of course, rent out all of the vacant office space the city has to help balance the budget as any private company could have done. This should have been done years ago.
…and sell of some of the unused, vacant and blighted City of Tacoma property that the city has hoarded from decades of discontinued projects.
These actions could significantly lower the budget gap and the layoffs and loss of service to citizens without raising taxes.
J jesse June 18, 2012
Do they run the risk of renting to organizations with political agenda? I wouldn’t want to put the fox in the hen house per se.
E Erik B. June 18, 2012
@Jesse: good point. The old library building that is being considered to be sold had a committee that reviewed the applicants.
Hopefully, willing renters and buyers can be found who will not turn the properties into more halfway houses.