Pt Defiance Park Master Plan Update Draft to be presented to Board of Park Commissioners on Monday

Metro Parks Tacoma staff will present the biggest proposed planning update for Point Defiance Park in a century to the Board of Park Commissioners on Monday, Aug. 10. 

Staff will deliver the presentation in a study session at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Room at Metro Parks Tacoma headquarters, 4702 S. 19th St. The regular Park Board meeting will follow at 6 p.m., and the proposal will get the first of two readings before the Board. Two weeks later, on Aug. 24, the Board will give the proposal a second reading and final vote. All three meetings are open to the public, and comment is welcome. A draft may be found online at DestinationPointDefiance.org.

The planning update is the most comprehensive since the 1911 Hare & Hare Master Plan. It started with a series of public meetings in 2005. The work led to a Board-approved Concept Plan in 2008, a staff Program Plan in 2014 and, after more public meetings and input this year, the proposal that will go before the Board on Monday.

“Our work will be long-lasting, and we want to implement a vision that will make Point Defiance a safe, sustainable park that will continue to serve citizens for years to come,” said Debbie Terwilleger, director of planning and development.

Highlights include:

• Improved parking
• Trail enhancements
• A nature play area
• A fenced dog park in the “Baker Tract”
• An environmental learning center in the former Camp 6
• Fort Nisqually improvements
• Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium improvements
• Traffic changes to improve vehicle flow and keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe from cars

The full list of projects will take 20 years to fully realize. Next steps include reaching a Development Regulation Agreement with the City of Tacoma and starting a new series of in-depth public processes for more detailed schematic design including:

• Automobile and pedestrian circulation
• Former Camp 6 / Baker Tract
• Waterfront / Owen Beach

The proposed update affirms the principles laid out in 1911 and strives to honor the mission established during the update process: “Achieve a balance of: Past, Present, and Future... Recreation, Leisure, Education, Conservation, Preservation, History, and Progress.”