Prium Gets Approval for Foss Site 1 Project (25. August 2006, 06:55 by Derek Young) ~
The Foss Waterway Authority has approved Prium’s proposal for the Foss Site 1 space. The site is located just south of Albers Mill on the Thea Foss Waterway. The project, going by Porpoise Landing on the Prium website but without a name according to the TNT, will include office space, residential condos, retail, and parking. So assuming the permits and environmental cleanup steps go smoothly, Prium should be able to break ground next year.
Link to The News Tribune
Commenting Is Closed
Comments are allowed for two weeks from the posted date. If you want to make a comment or reopen this discussion, please contact us with your request. Thank you for visiting.
Porpoise Landing? I saw this on Prium’s website a couple of weeks ago and immediately thought Florida. Miami, Tacoma ain’t – and thank goodness.
At least they could have used some closer wildlife like dolphins, orcas, or killer raccoons. Besides who markets (more) upscale condos in a place that begins with “poor.”
My bet is an outside investor came up with the name. Their money, their name, but let’s get in touch with the area.
1 | Posted by DavidS | Aug 25, 08:59 AM
erik that has been one of my gripes with newer buildings in downtown. why so much short stubby architecture? we need more projects like Jay Heights. Prium should have done something like that on Thea Foss as well as up on the hill.
4 | Posted by craigA | Aug 25, 10:35 AM
we need more projects like Jay Heights. Prium should have done something like that on Thea Foss as well as up on the hill.
I agree. The Foss is one of the valuable pieces of real estate in the city. However, the places is geographically remote. They are going to have to get alot more density down there if they want to support any retail for residents in the area after 5:00 p.m.
as Thea Foss Landing was being built, wasnt the city talking about how they wanted the entire waterway to look like the shores of Vancouver BC? i love Vacouver and love the buildings there, but i certainly dont see Vancouver down on Thea Foss. Prium is a great company and we’re lucky to have them here in tacoma, but im definately not impressed with the idea for site 1. i was hoping for a tall gorgeous building that could be seen as a landmark even from I-5. I think the Foss Waterway Authority needs to expect more from developers. that enclosed boat warehouse across from Albers Mill is soooooo ugly!
6 | Posted by craigA | Aug 25, 11:49 AM
I’m not a building official or developer, but I play them on T.V. (not really; just another increasingly obscure reference). True, more s.f. means more bang for the buck, so one can wonder why the sky isn’t the limit. It must be big enough to be viable. But a source of mine explained a few of the many intertwining factors: The city is selling the land, so there is more than usual input, review, concessions, and meeting the cisty’s view of what it should be. Height means obstructed view for others, and that can actually prevent one from building high and/or it could cost extra to buy those rights. But to compensate for loss in height by building down (below grade) means a lot of expense, and in this case, more contaminated soil and drainage issues to deal with. So it’s a complicated set of issues and like most things, more than meets the eye. Personally, I’d like to see just a Craftsman Bungalow on the site. (Again, this is not an official response by an official person, so I welcome corrections and/or clarifications.)
7 | Posted by Dave L.(1) | Aug 25, 12:15 PM
The Foss Waterway Design & Development Plan (large PDF) and the associated portion of the Tacoma Municipal Code 13.10.110G (larger PDF) only allow a 65ft height for any construction south of 18th Street on the waterway. This limits the building to about 5 stories.
The Thea’s Landing and Esplanade sites allowed for up to 100ft building height, though I’m not sure what they were built to. Of course on the north side of 11th, the developer is pushing for a increase in the height limit to 180 feet or so. This would put these buildings about 80 feet above the downtown street/pedestrian/Fireman’s Park level. (The latest information is here. )
Whichever side of this particular height issue you’re on, the City is accepting public comments via Donna Stenger at either dstenger@cityoftacoma.org or 591-5210. (My take is that we need more viual and access connections between downtown & the waterfront, not less.)
8 | Posted by DavidS | Aug 25, 12:18 PM
from what i have seen of the project, i like it quite a bit. i am pleased that the building is not tall, as a tall building would obstruct views, and possibly restrict pedestrian access to the waterfront do to increased traffic and parking demands.
with that said, my largest concern with all this development is PARKING. this new building will only contain 250 stalls. it’s great that people who live there will have places to park, but what about all the people who come downtown just walk the esplanade and shop? parking on dock street is already a problem. this new building does nothing to address the parking problem.
9 | Posted by Tad | Aug 25, 07:37 PM
“my largest concern with all this development is PARKING. this new building will only contain 250 stalls. it’s great that people who live there will have places to park, but what about all the people who come downtown just walk the esplanade and shop?”
According to the article, the development will only have around 60 condos. So that means that there will be more than enough parking for everyone. I still will never understand why everyone thinks they have to drive everywhere. Here we have the only streetcar in the state just about two minutes’ walk away and free parking at Tacoma Dome Station. I would imagine it would cost at least a couple bucks to park in any of the garages on the Foss; therefore, I wonder why people are so reluctant to take the train even if it’s free.
The number one land use in downtown Tacoma is parking, yet people who are too lazy to walk more than two blocks are always complaining about the so-called “parking problem” and clamoring for more spaces. Maybe we should just leave the rest of the Foss wide open and build a Walmart-style parking lot. Same for Sixth Avenue, just raze four or five blocks behind the main drag so that everyone afraid to ride a bus (gasp) will have a place to park. Let’s do that and see how much praise we get from the Oregonian then.
If we are to have the 400-foot towers we all dream of, one day we are going to have to become more of a walking and bicycling-oriented downtown core, and we will have to start taking advantage of the excellent and affordable public transportation system.
I apologize for bitching and please don’t take it personal, all the car lovers out there.
10 | Posted by drizell | Aug 25, 11:30 PM
Amen drizell, i agree 100 percent
11 | Posted by craigA | Aug 25, 11:37 PM
i agree as well, to a point. as a former uwt student, i always parked at the dome and took the light rail to union station. my concern is for people visiting tacoma who might not be familiar with our rail line, and the fact that the dome district is the only area in downtown that typically has available, and free parking.
i am not a citizen who feels the need to drive everywhere, but the fact remains that foot traffic along the foss is typically quite low, and large chunks of retail and office space remain vacant. i think, in part, some of that has to do with lack of parking along dock street.
also, with 60 condos, retail and office space going into this new building, i don’t think the 250 stalls will be enough to handle building occupants and pedestrian traffic. we should promote light rail access to the foss, but the light rail needs to be part of a comprehensive trasportation network that includes additional parking for visitors along the foss.
12 | Posted by Tad | Aug 26, 07:43 AM
“I still will never understand why everyone thinks they have to drive everywhere. Here we have the only streetcar in the state just about two minutes’ walk away and free parking at Tacoma Dome Station. I would imagine it would cost at least a couple bucks to park in any of the garages on the Foss; therefore, I wonder why people are so reluctant to take the train even if it’s free.”
to be a bit more clear, the reason why i only agree with you to a point on this issue is because in order to use our current light rail, some folks (like myself) have to do even MORE driving just to access the rail line. for example, i live in university place and have to drive all the way to the dome to get on the rail only to backtrack towards downtown. it seems silly to me to have to do that. but, since parking is available at the dome, that is what i must do.
my hope is that the proposed 19th st and 6th ave light rail expansion lines will be built. that way i am only restricted to a simple (and quick) drive away from tcc where i catch the light rail any time i need to make a trip downtown.
13 | Posted by Tad | Aug 26, 09:49 AM
”...light rail needs to be part of a comprehensive trasportation network that includes additional parking for visitors along the foss.”
It’s nice to see the great parking debate continue (are we off topic Derek?)...
I would like to clarify that light rail is a very specific type of transportation. What Sound Transit is building up North is light rail. It uses heavy technology closer to a train than what we commonly think of as a streetcar. Sound Transit’s Tacoma LINK is a streetcar which runs on a light rail system- it was designed to be upgraded to a more heavy technology and to eventually tie in with a regional system. Imagine a train running through downtown. That’s what light rail is.
Now imagine something which is keeping more in scale with our neighborhoods: Tacoma Streetcar.
Commenting is closed for this article.
