UWT's Joy Building - Retail Along Pacific!
If you may recall, a story in The News Tribune last November revealed a difference of opinion between the University of Washington Tacoma and the Downtown Merchant Group regarding retail in the Joy Building. UWT had announced plans to use the remodeled Joy Building’s Pacific Avenue frontage for classroom space. The DMG argued that businesses had made choices based on a UWT promise that the space would be used for retail.
This morning’s DMG meeting revealed a slight change of direction. The Joy Building will now have retail stores along its Pacific Avenue side with classrooms behind them. This will create the potential for a few solid blocks of retail in downtown Tacoma from Tollefson Plaza to the Harmon Brewery.
We like it.
Filed under: General
23 comments
N Nick March 4, 2010
YESSSSS! <insert napoleon dynamite fist-to-chest gesture here>
Likely means some more empty storefronts in the short-term, but for the long term this is a huge positive!
B Brent March 4, 2010
I like it, but there is already no parking already. An extremely narrow street and it is terrible backing out of the parking spaces. Time will tell.
D DavidS March 4, 2010
Great news on the storefronts. This is a good long term vision for Pacific Avenue that focuses on its potential.
(Don’t get me started on the front-in angle parking issue. It’ll be interesting to see if Councilman Boe can do something about that during his next two years in office.)
E Erik B. March 4, 2010
This morning’s DMG meeting revealed a slight change of direction. The Joy Building will now have retail stores along its Pacific Avenue side with classrooms behind them
Nice. Reason and good urbanism looks to have prevailed.
T tom waits March 4, 2010
The angle parking is awful. For all its positive attributes, this is not a town whose drivers are particularly good at stopping to let people back out…I’ve sat waiting for a long time, even partly backed out and into the traffic lane. Pierce Transit busses don’t even yield.
Sorry, off topic. The news about retail frontage is great news…I only hope they are viable retail bays (i.e. big enough, not too shallow).
W william March 4, 2010
Great – now lets do something about the angle parking. Pacific is reduced to one lane for a couple of blocks approaching the Harmon – if a single car backs-out and another takes the space, the main street of Tacoma can be blocked for several minutes.
I try to avoid that area in the early evening and if others do the same, I’m surethe retail establishments will suffer.
J jamie from thriceallamerican March 4, 2010
Would it be pointing out the obvious to say that “no parking” shouldn’t be too much of a problem given the relative ease-of-access to the area using either light rail or bus?
N NSHDscott March 5, 2010
I don’t understand what can be done about the angle parking. Parking parallel to curb takes out half the spaces or more. What else is there?
M Mofo from the Hood March 5, 2010
I have a feeling that the Masters of Parking weighed the alternative of angle parking by which you back a vehicle to the curb and then can drive away with greater visibility.
I would have voted for such back-in angle parking—-For the record.
J Jesse March 5, 2010
I’m glad UWT decided that thier integrity was important here. Well done.
J Jesse March 5, 2010
Perhaps we can now try and get the Wells Fargo Tower, Park Place North, and some other dead spots on Pacific to create store fronts?
D Dale Rush March 5, 2010
Hello Taco Time…..has he been approached now that our “people count is up a bit ?”
D dolly varden March 5, 2010
There’d be room for a bike lane if you had regular parallel parking down there. Under the current configuration, I just ride in the middle of the lane and make cars slow down behind me for four blocks. There’s no safe alternative.
Good news on the storefronts.
B Brent March 5, 2010
I’ll just park in Tollefson Plaza. That will suffice.
C crinshaw zepeda March 5, 2010
Perhaps we can build some very large concrete parking garages for people to park in?
T Tacoma1 March 5, 2010
If we have to have angle in parking in this city, it should be angle back in only, not nose in. That way you can pull out safely. As the driver, you would easily have a clear view of oncoming traffic. Also by backing in, you temporarily stop traffic yourself…thereby creating your own traffic calming effect.
Of course if we had a better more frequent transit sytem (like a streetcar network for example) we wouldn’t need angle in parking.
E Elliot March 5, 2010
Discussions of parking in Tacoma make my head assplode. Welcome to living in a city: Sometimes you have to park a few blocks away. It’s not a big deal, and hey: It gets people walking around town a bit. If you want to be able to park on the same block as the business you’re going to every time, start going to strip malls, you’ll like them better. Sheesh. The amount people complain about parking in this city is comical.
T Tacoma1 March 5, 2010
Glad to see the retail coming in btw.
I gotta agree with Elliot on the parking. Even though I found myself complaining a bit about parking there. Complaining about parking is a uniquely Tacoma phenomenon. When I go to Seattle or to Portland, I assume that I won’t get parking unless I pay for it. Mostly I leave the car at home. When I feel that I must have the car, I find a pay parking lot that is centrally located and walk everywhere anyway.
Of course, both those city’s have a more frequently operating transit system so it is easier to arrive and depart sans auto.
T tom waits March 5, 2010
Have to agree on the parking observations. In Seattle you bury the car in some garage that isn’t already full and just pay your $20. And then you don’t move it until you’re good and ready to go. The last time I have a clear memory of circling the block for a parking spot in DT Seattle was probably in the early 1990s.
When I complain about parking in Tacoma, it’s the bad street design/engineering that I am complaining about. People seem to think along the strip mall real estate model here, where if a driver can’t visibly see parking right in front of the store, he won’t stop and spend money. But that is not an urban model.
People think that walking a half block is a disincentive and will hurt business. I say, open a business that is worth walking a half block to patronize. If we keep propping up a failing downtown by unsustainable and ultimately flawed design solutions (like suburban campus parking everywhere), downtown will always be on life support.
OK, nuff said.
I I'm for Change (for tacoma) March 5, 2010
The sidewalk there is fairly wide; why can’t I park my scooter on the egde?
Until then, I’ll park @ the Link garage in a designated 3-hour spot, wait (maybe) 10 mins, train in right to the middle of the neighborhood, and laugh at the idiot people who can’t do w/o a car RIGHT there with them.
F Fool March 5, 2010
We need something similiar to Westlake Mall in Seattle. I think that design would be amazing in Tacoma.
VIVA TACOMA DOWNTOWN!!!!!!!!
I live downtown and it is quite bland. INVEST!!
I’m about to pay royalties to play Ray Liotas voice downtown once a week,
“If you build it, they will come”
T TacomaThinker March 6, 2010
I love what UW means for t-town.
How about more lanes on Pacific and smaller sidewalks? And lets bring back smoking in every building while we’re at it…
C CA March 6, 2010
Downtown needs more bodies. On-campus dorms at UWT would do wonders for livening things up down there.