May. 4, 2009 at 8:18am

Clear Channel: Local Atists Matter

Remember that whole Clear Channel billboard debacle? After reading about what some New York artists did under similar circumstances, I was inspired to share it with my local billboard abolitionists. Their simple yet effective approach was to pinpoint illegally posted ads and paint original artwork over them.

If it weren't for the need of a really really ridiculously tall ladder to do the same thing here, I'd suggest we do something similar. However, perhaps there is some more reachable low-hanging fruit that could use a little "freshening up?"

Read more here: http://consumerist.com/5236328/art-vigilantes-paint-over-120-illegal-billboards-in-nyc

comments [6]

Apr. 20, 2009 at 10:39am

Washington Nice to Small Business

According to the WSJ, our beloved state of Washington is #4 on the top 5 small-business-tax-friendly states in the country. I haven't yet tracked down the source of these stats, or if anything beyond B&O taxes was included but will post up more details if I can find them. For what it's worth, here are the top 5 and bottom 5 (+1 extra) small business friendly states:

Most Friendly:

1. South Dakota
2. Nevada
3. Wyoming
4. Washington
5. Texas

Least Friendly:

1. New York
2. California
3. Maine
4. Minnesota
5. New Jersey
6. Washington DC

I'll keep this post short and simple, and let the community do the talking. Go forth and discuss!

comments [3]

Apr. 8, 2009 at 12:50pm

A Challenge: Making Tacoma Walkable

Show me yours and I'll show you mine!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this movement towards building cities for people and not cars seems to be gaining steam. My fiance recently linked me to a site that I feel compelled to share with my fellow Tacomans:

http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/transparency/web/0904/livable-streets.html

It has inspired me to try my hand at Photoshopping some of our favorite Tacoma streetscapes to see just how much more enjoyable we could make our beloved city (I'll post some up in the comments when they're ready). I challenge you to make your own submissions and post up the results here.

Don't be shy! We're not going for perfection here, just share your ideas for what would make your slice of Tacoma more walkable!

comments [3]

Mar. 17, 2009 at 9:02am

Tacoma Traffic != Dangerous

Making the WSDOT Proud

I ran across this clever web app that maps out the most dangerous roads and highways (calculated by the number of fatal accidents within a 1000 foot range). Naturally, I zoomed in to see where Tacoma stands relative to its neighbors, and was pleasantly surprised to see we are actually doing pretty well.

That's speaking in relative terms of course, as we do have a couple of fatal accidents on our slice of the state, but compared to other populous areas nearby, we're looking pretty good:

http://www.riskyroads.org/

comments [0]

Mar. 12, 2009 at 10:31am

Tech in Tacoma

What can we do to make things better?

The way I see it, this recession might actually be beneficial for Tacoma. Because certain sectors like Tech are so small in Tacoma relative to nearby cities like Seattle and Bellevue, a 30% decline in Tech here is much smaller than the same 30% decline in our neighbors to the north. This means that while overall everything is going down, the leading gaps that other cities have over Tacoma is actually shrinking.



That presents an opportunity for Tacoma to snatch up some market share. If we start implementing policies to promote growth in this sector, we could position ourselves to become a more viable option for tech companies. If we do it right, we could benefit from the eventual recovery without having paid so much in losses. This isn't limited to only the tech sector, but being a part of it I'm a bit partial to that end of the spectrum.

So what do you think? What could Tacoma do over the next few years to make itself more attractive? What programs, policies, messages, and tax benefits could we set up now to help us reap a payoff of more jobs, businesses, and economic  growth later?

comments [19]

Feb. 17, 2009 at 9:55am

So Tacoma, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Tacoma, an interview...

In light of a new president, a new economic crisis, and the latest happenings in our humble city of Tacoma, where to we, as Tacoma, see ourselves in 5 years?

I want us to consider what has  happened over the past 5 years, look at what is planned, and suggest what we might find 1,825 days from now. I'm talking events, traditions, our identity, new buildings, new businesses . . . there's no limit. Tell me what you predict we will find on February 17, 2014.

comments [12]

Oct. 31, 2008 at 9:25am

Order Around SiteCrafting's Subservient Chicken

Your very own chicken at your . . . cluck . . . and call!

Today I will be a chicken at your service:

Video chat rooms at Ustream

comments [0]

Oct. 22, 2008 at 9:12am

Pierce County Mystery Candidates

I got my absentee ballot this week and started marking in my choices and hit a brick wall when it came to a few of the county positions. Not recognizing some of the names (or all of them, in the case of candidates for assesor-treasurer), I thought I'd swing by the Pierce County website. I was hoping to see if there was any background information on any of the candidates posted.

Somewhat surprised, and somewhat not, I found nothing. I then went to Google and didn't have much luck there either. At this point frustration started to set in, and even if the information was out there, my energy had already been exausted from jumping through so many hoops.

This got me thinking about how valuable these elections actually are for our county. If I, being someone not well informed in county politics but willing to research, could not find any useful information - what chance did the average county resident have?

Now I'm sure there is information somewhere that I just simply haven't found yet. Maybe being the young whipper-snapper that I am, I am unrealistically expecting relevant information to be readily available on the internet. My point is, if it is this difficult and takes this much effort just to get an ounce of information about qualifications/experience for a given candidate, we've got a problem.

This means that on top of suppressing votes among the voting population, we are also encouraging some misinformed voters to play Russian roulette with our county leadership. In fact, for some positions a candidate could slam-dunk an election just by being the only candidate to make themselves publicly visible.

Now that my rant is over, I pose the question to you. Have I just been looking in the wrong places, or have I noticed a genuine problem with the county election process?

comments [7]

Sep. 24, 2008 at 12:28pm

Brewery District Hotels

Sorry, I know it's long! Skip to "The Nutshell" at the bottom if you're too lazy to read!

Exit133 has brought attention to the latest development in the brewery district hotel saga. As my comment indicated, I nearly threw up in my mouth when I saw the renderings. That being said, my take is actually not entirely negative but is certainly heavily weighted that way. I'll start with what I like . . .

The Good

I like the fact that there has been some resistance to the earlier designs in an official capacity. It tells me that Tacoma is losing the attitude of "beggars can't be choosers" and finally acknowledging the fact that Tacoma is increasingly becoming a more desirable place to live and do business in. With respect to the latest design, I must also tip my hat to the architects and designers for actually making an effort to accommodate the architectural context of the area and for also removing surface-level parking from the design. So there you go, an A for effort!

The Bad & The Ugly

What I don't like is pretty much everything else. The results that A-level effort produced are far from acceptable. My first reaction to the new design was thoughts of how generic and uninteresting it was. It looked like your typical freeway exit/middle of nowhere/convenience stop for drivers too tired to finish their drive to Seattle. My guess is that this is exactly what the developers have in mind, and is probably based in some fairly stale market research. Research that does not account for immediate and future circumstances.

In reality, I think the primary clientele will be quite different. I see most guests being business travelers and other visitors drawn to the area by the convention center, local businesses operating in national/multinational contexts (here's looking at you, Russell), families of local students (think graduations and incoming freshmen for UPS/PLU/UWT) and by the ever increasing selection of museums and tourist attractions not duplicated elsewhere.

What We Should Require

So enough complaining, how about some constructive feedback? How about at the very LEAST requiring that the existing mash (not water) tower be refurbished or replicated and somehow integrated into the building architecture. Even something as simple as tossing it on the top of the building somewhere visible. Better yet, do it Harmon-style and integrate it into the facade of the building on the corner or at the main entrance.

What better (and easier) way to support the development of this area than to throw up a freakin' mash (not wataer) tower? If anything it would draw attention to the building and might actually BENEFIT the hotels operating within the buildings. See? Everybody wins!

The Nutshell

Any new development in this area will be effectively the anchor tenant for the district. It will either make or break the district, spurring future growth or end up allowing it to grow stagnant. As an anchor tennant, this project should be held to a higher standard than any other nearby development that follows. It will be setting a precedent for what is required of future growth in this area.

If this is going to continue to be the brewery district, the objective should be to do more than just camoflage new construction with the nearby buildings. We should be bringing emphasis to, and develop, its character. Otherwise we're going to end up with a University Place situation, with a name that only reflects what might have been.

comments [2]