Jul. 11, 2008 at 2:21pm

7-Eleven Free Slurpee Day

Today!

Just a quick reminder that today is 7-Eleven's annual "free slurpee day" - so go get one while they're cold . . . and free! It's a perfect day for one to boot!

Find your local 7-Eleven below:

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Jul. 8, 2008 at 2:02pm

Downtown Tacoma: High Gas Prices

A blessing in disguise?

With all the complaining I've heard about high gas prices lately, I want to bring to light a possible benefit this circumstance could have on the future of downtown Tacoma (and Tacoma at large for that matter). Consider this: rising gas prices also mean a rising pressure on people to live closer to where they work (or work closer to where they live). This is something that people like James Kunstler have touched upon many times, but until recently it has mostly been theoretical.

Yesterday, I read an article that took all this theory and shoved it into reality. Suburban sprawl's poster child, Sacramento, was featured in the WSJ for it's new movement towards greater density and a smarter growth strategy. "Blueprint" growth as it is called, emphasizes density and focuses on locating people's homes closer to where they work, shop, and go to school.

This speaks well for Tacoma's future economic development. It suggests that we are going to see an unprecedented rush of investment into the downtown core as demand shifts from suburbia to urbia. Blueprint growth has arguably always been a good idea, but the recent rise in gas prices is catalyzing its movement into the mainstream. This is what got me thinking about downtown Tacoma and how it will most likely benefit if current trends continue. The Sacramento story gives us an opportunity to see what kinds of roadblocks and challenges we might see in the future as Tacoma's growth continues:

Developers

The Sacramento example showed that most developers initially were very opposed to this whole concept, until they saw that demand was already shifting away from suburban homes in favor of more densely-built townhomes and condos, and that by 2050 suburban subdivisions would simply not be profitable anymore.

Local Government

It was also difficult to sway city and county officials to this new strategy until they too had an opportunity to see projections 25-50 years ahead. Sacramento brought on Mike Mckeever (who helped Portland develop it's smart growth strategy) who presented an interactive computer model of what things would look like 50 years ahead. The effective conclusion was that Blueprint growth made the most sense economically and transportation-wise than continued suburban sprawl.

So enough about Sacramento, we need to figure out where Tacoma and Pierce County are at right now and where we're going. So many of Tacoma's policies on urban development are suburban and are just "dumb." What needs to change and how do we get there? Does anyone in our local government really know what's going on yet?

I'll finish off with some interesting quotes that suggest Tacoma is already exhibiting some of these new trends:

"The prices for a condo in downtown Tacoma seem to favor the professional downsizing couple more than any young person."

- Exit133.com ("Tacoma Condo Roundup", 2005)

"Most teams viewed sprawl as bad. Most teams adhered to the theory that growth should go where the utilities and transportation networks already exist."

- Dan Voelpel, commenting on a recent workshop (The News Tribune, 2008)

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Jun. 20, 2008 at 2:20pm

Urban Design & Cruise Ships

Why Tacoma should look to cruise ships when evaluating design priorities.

Discussing urban design and cruise ships in the same post could be an indication that I have lost one too many marbles. I hope this is not the case, because I think I may be on to something here! I'll let you decide for yourself . . .

After running across this post over at Gizmodo, a thought entered my head: Are cruise ships real-life examples of what a model mixed-use community should look like? The more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense. Cruise ships are basically self-contained communities that involve no cars, must accomodate thousands of residents, and must offer all (if not more) of the modern ammenities we have grown accustomed to.

Certainly it is not precisely the same, as it does not require a self-supporting economy, nor does it require available employment for all the residents. The short-term timeline also means the whole system does not have to be sustainable as it only has to last as long as the cruise.

Even with these caveats, I think we can see in cruise ships an example of what kind of infrastructure we can create under certain circumstances. It is essentially a design that allows residents a place to live while making shopping, entertainment, etc. as accessible as possible without the need to get in a car and drive around for half the day.

I'm not saying we should build cities to look like cruise ships, but I am saying that they provide an illustration of what we are capable of building when the situation necessitates it.

My real intent for writing this was to spark a discussion - what do you think about this parallel? What other similarities can you se? As Tacoma continues to grow, are there designs/organizational cues that we could tanslate into an on-land context?

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Jun. 17, 2008 at 7:51pm

The New EQC "Zit"

. . . oops, I mean "sign"

Scott Fontaine over at the TNT quoted an interesting perspective on that new Emerald Queen Casino sign we've all come to know and love. It got me thinking about it, and although I've been avoiding it, I've finally decided to evaluate the issue for myself.

Aaron Beckord is quoted as saying that "it is done in a modern, professional way" and justifies its existence by suggesting that the casino brings millions of dollars into Pierce County and creates thousands of jobs.

Personally, I find it to be a careless and locally-demeaning eyesore that will do nothing but stunt that area's economic development for quite some time. Even on a reservation, I think something better could have come about in such a populous region. It is likely going to deter much more future investment in the area than the casino will ever bring in. Not to mention how much the evening light pollution and daytime ugliness is going to kill nearby property values (making Mr. Beckord's quote all that more surprising, considering he is a realtor).

I could go on, but I think I've arrived at my point. Based on what I can observe, any positives this sign brings are being buried by a landslide of negatives that make this whole situation a major disappointment.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Are there other things I haven't considered? Are some of my conclusions not entirely acurrate? Or did the region just get stuck with a brand new "zit" that isn't going to go away for a very long time?

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Jun. 8, 2008 at 4:46pm

South Park Plaza Update

The Russians have graduated, from dolls to cranes!

Passing through I noticed all of Pacific was closed in front of South Park Plaza yesterday. It looked like they were assembling a crane with, yes, two other smaller cranes. It hadn't occurred to me before, but it seems there are practical uses to the Russian doll concept!

The real question is, do the smaller cranes fit inside the larger one?

comments [5]

Jun. 5, 2008 at 1:54pm

Rebuilding Tacoma

. . . with paper!

After being tipped off by a watchful eye over at Exit133, I made my first step towards rebuilding Tacoma. With what, you might ask? Why, with paper of course! Brick is soo 753 B.C. and wood went out of style with acid-wash jeans as far as I'm concerned. Aluminum is all the rage, but I maintain I am ahead of the curve with my choice of building materials.

Before you decide I've gone off the deep end, let me provide you with some visuals that just may confirm as much:

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May. 30, 2008 at 11:21am

Why the Elks + Pierce Transit = Good News

My take on the latest development...

After Exit133 posted up news about a possible future for the Elks building, a handful of comments expressed concern that this would move the 'bus people' crowd from 10th & Commerce to the Elks building. Many were concerned this would result in an inappropriate use for the building, and that a better use is out there somewhere.

I can certainly identify with the worrisome comments about ‘bus people’ creating a not-so-friendly environment in a new facility like this, but perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way.

The reason the 10th & Commerce area always feels so unpleasant is because there is such a high concentration of disruptive behavior with little else to balance it out. In fact, between 9th and 10th on commerce, there is no other reason to be on that street. It's also important to note that the people everyone is always complaining about are actually in the minority. I used to take the bus to get everywhere, and most people go to 10th & Commerce to get on a bus an leave. The problem is with the people that don't get on a bus and instead hang around for most of the day.

Moving all this to a new location surrounded with mixed-use spaces for retail, offices, and living spaces would be a major improvement. This situation would actually dilute this current group of people. So instead of 20 or 30 weirdos harassing bus patrons, and dealers standing on the corner, we could have say 30 retail patrons, no drug dealers, and a social atmosphere that would discourage the remaining 20 weirdos from hanging around and creating an unpleasant environment. Plus it would be easier for TPD/BIA to secure and manage.

So the nutshell version? This would effectively diffuse the causes for the 10th & Commerce unpleasantness, improve Tacoma’s urban environment, and make taking the bus from/to downtown less daunting. Are there any other advantages/disadvantages that I haven't thought of?

comments [12]

May. 28, 2008 at 10:24am

Roads are Like Teeth

I'm not crazy yet, let me explain...

So while I was taking a shower this morning, the infamous source of countless ideas, I came up with an excellent analogy for public roads and how our current roads fit in. It goes something like this (try reading it thinking about teeth, and then about roads - it works both ways!):

Roads are Like Teeth

They are absolutely essential for a healthy quality of life, and it is much more expensive to replace them than to maintain them. They also require constant maintenance and cleaning, or they will decay and crumble. While primarily serving a functional purpose, they also play a major role in appearance and how outsiders make judgments.

Signs of neglect and disrepair are often an indication of apathy, poor economic conditions, or a lack of discipline - all of which will quickly turn away potentially interested parties. This is especially true when green can be seen poking out from between cracks. Deferring repairs and maintenance only worsens the problem and increases the ultimate expense, and often results in a more painful and lengthy repair process. Adjacent entities also tend to suffer, and the living tissue usually begins to recede away from the decay resulting in abandonment and further damage to the surrounding areas.

So . . . I'm brushing/flossing my teeth, are we as Tacoma?

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May. 27, 2008 at 1:57pm

Tacoma in the Wall Street Journal

Some interesting insights as well...

Sometimes I find it hard to keep up with the WSJ's daily bombardment of news content - after all, a man can only read so much on a lunch break! Seeing that today's issue has yet to arrive, I found myself reading last Wednesday's issue when I noticed a photo that looked awfully familiar:

Granted I wasn't that surprised to see a photo of Russell's building in the WSJ, but I was still very much excited to see Tacoma and one of our own home-grown companies receive some national attention.

The article, A City's Revitalization Comes to a Crossroads by Maura Webber Sadovi basically covers Russell's upcoming decision on where its future home will be. For the most part it is old news for most of us, but what I did find interesting were the statistics provided . Take a look at these:

	2008	2007
Office Occupancy	10.3%	9.3%
Avg. annual effective rent/s.f.	$17.86	16.63
Retail Vacancy	5.3%	3.4%
Avg. annual effective rent/s.f.	$17.75	$16.88
Industrial Vacancy	8.6%	7.2%
Annual asking rent/s.f.	$4.32	$4.32
Median Home Resale Price	$265,000	$282,000

I imagine these along with similar statistics are readily available if you're willing to look for them, but for me this provided some interesting insight into short-term trends since last year. All in all vacancies for all types of space have gone up except for office space, which it seems has gone down. The reduction in retail space makes sense considering the current state of the economy and the continuing decline in consumer spending.

As for the office space, the reduced supply has consequentially increased the rental cost per square foot. Oddly enough, this is good news for Tacoma (though how good I'm not really sure - I don't know what national trends are and whether or not we are ahead/on/behind the curve). If this trend continues, the rising rental rates will make speculative construction of class-A office space more financially viable and should result in some new construction.

The only problem is, we have a few other things working against us. For one, the parking requirement (is this horse dead yet?) means that to be competitive with nearby cities, the increased rental cost must not only outperform those of nearby cities, but must also compensate for the added cost of building parking. Another problem is Russell's move. If Russell leaves Tacoma, a huge amount of supply is dumped into the office space market and rental costs could be driven down. If Russell stays in Tacoma, this blow is softened by the fact that Russell will have added one or more new buildings to the downtown core. The third issue is of course the economy at large, which has gotten more bearish by the day. This means investors of all kinds are more likely to reduce their exposure and hang on to their piles of cash until things stabilize - especially investors in real estate and office construction.

So the real question is, will Tacoma do for office space what it has done for residential properties downtown? Are we going to see tax incentives and financial assistance for building new office space like we saw for building/buying new condos? Will Tacoma do what it can to compensate for weak economic conditions? I sure hope so, but I really don't know what to expect. So what's it going to be Tacoma? The ball is in your court!

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