Union Avenue Walmart Will Come With Traffic Revisions; What Else?
The News Tribune has some new details on the Walmart planned for the former Elks property on Union. We still don’t have a date yet, but it sounds like planning is going full-speed on the property that cost the Walmart developer $11 million. The TNT story includes some updates on traffic pattern adjustments being discussed to manage increased traffic around the site of the 24-hour “Supercenter.”
- Two new entrances to the property — one on Union Avenue and one on Cedar Street.
- A new traffic light at the Cedar Street driveway.
- The Union Avenue driveway will be right-turn only – in and out.
- An additional left-turn lane from northbound Union to South 19th Street.
So far it sounds like the u-turn originally discussed for southbound traffic at South 23rd will be left out of the plans, but the deal isn’t sealed yet. The City and Walmart are still in the process of reviewing and revising plans to satisfy City requirements.
It would appear that Walmart is coming to Tacoma, whether we all like it or not. They’ve done their market research, and obviously they think someone will buy what they’ve got to sell. A representative of the mega-retailer, quoted in the TNT, claims the company is interested in working collaboratively to fit in to the neighborhood.
We pride ourselves on being good neighbors by operating respectfully in communities across Washington.
So, community members, assuming Walmart won’t be deterred at this point, what would you like to see as a sign of respect? Perhaps some sizable contributions to Tacoma’s urban forest canopy on the property there? How about sunken parking? Public art? A cloak of invisibility? Dream big…
Read more from The News Tribune
Previously from Exit133: Walmart in Tacoma One Step Closer.
Filed under: Walmart
14 comments
J Justin Leighton May 8, 2012
Those ideas are novel but not in the plans Exit 133. A sunken parking lot no mater if the community wants it or not is not in the plans.
They do not want to work with the community, they are just tossing this warm and fuzzy quote around to make everyone feel “warm and fuzzy” about them coming.
Look at the plans Exit 133, it looks like any other Walmart you would see in suburban America….Sad!
F fredo May 8, 2012
The utopians had years to buy the property and put in the sort of development they would favor. For the record, there is ugly development in virtually every part of Tacoma. The existing Elks building is no Taj Mahal.
J Jenny Jenkins May 8, 2012
I know Gig Harbor has more stringent requirements on development, but they’ve done a nice job of hiding their Walmart from view. Perhaps something can be done to get some more trees planted to screen the parking lot from the road a little, or something. And I have to say I agree with Fredo – the Elks building and parking lot aren’t exactly what I’d call attractive.
G Glenn May 8, 2012
Can we put up enough trees to completely obscure it from view and to block its entrances?
J Jesse May 8, 2012
With the massive increase in traffic here, how are emergency vehicles going to get to Allenmore Hospital in a timely enough manner to save grampa from his massive heart attack?
F fredo May 8, 2012
Jesse, I could be wrong but I think most emergencies are taken to Tacoma General or St. Joes.
But you raise a good issue for discussion.
Should the city allow development in the areas near hospitals? Tacoma wants to attract a bunch of new development to the area just south of St. Joes and along MLK. Should we prevent such development because it might cause emergency vehicles to be delayed?
P Published Author RR Anderson May 8, 2012
we speak of trees. I’m envisioning treebeard leading and army of Ents to annihilate this unholy manifestation of planet-killing consumerism. We speak of community integration. .. I would like Walmart to show initiative as they did in Mexico by offering bribes and blood money in exchange for community advocate hearts and minds.
I will happily kiss the festering assh0lez of this soul sucking vile demon of the great fire lake and eternal damnation in exchange for cold hard Foreign corrupt practices act money.
Die walmart. DIE! DIE! a thousand deaths! Thou art debased and debauched as can be.
T Tricia May 9, 2012
Work with the community…blah. I have left multiple message for Steve Restivo, orginal community outreach person, to discuss these exact same things…and no call back.
T Tricia May 9, 2012
I would really like to see a sunken parking lot or in the very least managed parking to reduce the number of spaces (box stores typically build enough parking for their busiest days and the rest of the time the parking lot is not full.
I would like to see the Walmart be two stories or in the very least a front that looks like two stories, like in Woodland, not the ugly cheap front they are proposing.
I will fight to the bitter end for the frontage development to acutually be completed. The only thing worse than the 150,000 sqft building in our mixed use center, is a 150,000 sqft building and a pedestrian oriented street (Union Avenue) seperated by 100’s of feet of parking lot with nothing in between.
Like I said about…if Walmart is going to say they are going to work with the community, I want a call back.
D Doug May 9, 2012
Another reason, not to go to Tacoma. Sorry but the traffic is to much for this valley guy now.
P Published Author RR Anderson May 9, 2012
Steve Restivo’s butt hairs are grass and The Central Neighborhood Council is the butt hair grass lawn mower.
Hey Steve! Where is my bribe?
F fredo May 9, 2012
RR, you complain about the WM a lot, but I’ll bet when the extra revenue from the WM sales taxes, property taxes, and excise taxes starts flowing into the city treasury you’ll be the first one before the city council to advocate for enhanced funding of programs for struggling artists.
P Published Author RR Anderson May 9, 2012
Will I be there advocating for ULTRA-HIGH sales taxes, property taxes and excise taxes on big box stores (and billboard companies, why not?). Thanks for the idea!
K Kennith George May 10, 2012
As most of the comments suggest, the Wal-Mart developers are in no way interested in listening to the community’s comments. I particularly don’t blame them considering how much we’ve blasted them with our outrage. But they know full well the contested issue will likely calm down and be forgotten within a year of its completion.
Why would they show any respect and listen to the community and spend money on sunken parking, public art, screening or anything that makes the site different from every other cookie cutter Wal-Mart site? Why they couldn’t incorporate their store in keeping with the mixed-use development envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan is completely on them. They don’t believe in respect or community character and health. It’s not in their business model. Their words are only fluffy, empty ones to ease public and city protest.
I, and I’m sure many other would like to be proven wrong. But Wal-Mart’s history and business model do not leave much room for hope. I for one am still rooting for the neighborhood teams and would like to see the sales from this store the lowest possible; dreaming of the day it’s forced to close its doors and sell. We’ll of course have to clean up the scars it left behind; and this if far from anything ideal. But, I’m convinced it will remain only a dream either way.