More on Sound Transit's Crossing (19. September 2007, 15:41 by Erik) ~ A city divided cannot stand ... or something like that.
One of the most active threads in the forum this past week has been about Sound Transit’s plan to cross Pacific, and Tacoma’s fight against it.
Last Wednesday, Morgan started it off with the news that the City was asking an independent consultant to review how well the train crossing meshes with Tacoma’s Comprehensive Plan. Discussion has continued through the week about how the city should handle the project.
In today’s Tribune, Dan Voelpel paints Jake Fey, Tom Stenger, Bill Evans, and Bill Baarsma like heroes in a Western for standing up to Sound Transit and fighting for a different plan for the crossing.
Check out Dan’s article, the forums, and add your thoughts to the discussion.
Link to The News Tribune
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Here’s an overview of where the Sound Transit current proposed route is and the growing opposition to the proposed route.
The Tacoma Planning Commission believes that the proposed Sound Transit route would be detrimental to Tacoma enough to take the extraordinary step to make a recommendation to the City Council to hire an independent expert.
The local group of American Institute of Architects have been concerned enough to propose an alternative route.
Brown & Haley and other business owners in the Dome District are scared of the effect of Sound Transits proposed path as well.
As tangentially connected as the North End Neighborhood Council is, they even opposed the proposed Sounder route enough to recommend an independent expert.
Every independent architect and other experts have opposed the current plan in one way or another. In fact, I don’t know of a single architect in Tacoma which supports the proposed Sound Transit Route. Our independent planning experts are telling us loudly that the proposed route is a bad idea. Are we listening?
Now the poor design of the route is coming apparent enough that a number of councilmembers are opposed to it without an independent expert.
The only argument for the current Sounder route I have seen is that it is cheap.
What can Tacoma do to Oppose the Deterimental Sound Transit Design?
(we can look to Seattle)
Here is a sample of how Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels fought the State of Washington’s effort to replace to current viaduct with a larger more obtrusive one which would have created an even larger barrier between the water and the city:
SEATTLE — A defiant Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said he’ll continue to push for a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct despite opposition to the tunnel from the governor and state legislators.
Nickels said he will fight to replace the viaduct with a tunnel.
“There is a wall that has been built between our city and the water and our message to Secretary MacDonald and Governor Gregoire is, ‘Tear down that wall,’” Nickels said.
Here’s how Seattle Councilmember spoke of standing up to the Department of Transportation when a larger more intrusive viaduct proposal was made:
“The city will not roll over on this,” said City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck, predicting a court fight should the state insist on an elevated structure. “It’s important if the state intends to proceed with an aerial replacement, it will be in conflict with a significant body of laws, plans and regulations.”
Two questions:
1) Where’s Julie Anderson on this? She’s not on the Env & PW Cmte, but is the City’s rep to ST & typically thinks things through.
2) Who is the consultant the City plans to hire? Finding Comp Plan references is straightforward, doing it while minimizing political/staff pressure is more difficult.
2 | Posted by DavidS | Sep 20, 08:53 AM
Here’s some key quotes from council members on the committee:
Jim Merritt, a noted local architect and AIA member who came up with the proposal Baarsma mentioned, compared this project to the arrival of Tacoma Mall in the mid-1960s. Council members of that era supported the mall, which ended up luring department stores and other businesses away from downtown.
“There was a legacy. Go back and see where those nine people on the council were, because they have a legacy. They let downtown be devastated,” Merritt declared. “We are doing something for 100 years and we are worrying about a little budget? Come on, let’s look at the bigger picture.”
and from our councilmember Jake Fey:
“I am not going to have my hands tied behind my back about what I think needs to be done, immediately or urgently, by the fact that the city manager doesn’t want us to do budget amendments except at one time of the year,” Fey responded. “We know there is additional money available, and we shouldn’t be restricted when something is urgent.”
from Mayor Baarsma:
“What we have here is the proposal that seemed to engender the most support, for all intent and purposes, was rejected,” Baarsma remarked.
Today, the Seattle Times reports about more love from our friends in Seattle over the Sound Transit proposed light rail line section from Sea-Tac to Tacoma. It seems some would like to clip the Tacoma portion off:
A Sierra Club leader took the rare step Thursday of criticizing part of Sound Transit’s light-rail vision — a proposed track extension from the city of SeaTac south to Tacoma.
“I think it’s not the most efficient use of tax dollars,” local club Chairman Mike O’Brien said during a campaign debate over this fall’s multibillion-dollar Proposition 1.
He called the Tacoma line a “political decision” made to satisfy elected officials in Pierce County. “If transportation planners were in charge, they would come up with a more efficient solution,” he said.
Background information South 5
Today, architect David Boe describes blow by blow the detrimental effects the proposed Sound Transit Route would have on the Dome District
He includes a couple of demonstrative sketches which I will add to the Exit 133 Forum
Architect says Sounder extension comes with ’100-year’ impacts
Tacoma Planning Commissioner David Boe sketched his concern for Tacoma City Councilmembers today. He’s concerned that the Sounder train extension through SoDo will cause problems that could “have a lasting impact on the viability of future development for all of Tacoma”.
Here are the catagories he lists that will be effected.
1. Access to and from I-5:
2. Access to the Thea Foss Waterway:
3. D Street:
4. Train Routes:
5. Ravine:
6. Depressing Pacific Avenue, South Tacoma Way, 26th Street:
7. Congestion Chaos:
8. On-grade crossing
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