The Exit133 Forum
Announcement
The Exit133 Forum is going into an ongoing offline maintenance mode while we take care of a long series of upgrades, updates, and code changes. You can continue to read posts, but we've disabled the creation of new posts or replies. We'll be back at full speed ... in May.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Derek
#1 2007-06-08 07:07:44
Oppose Multi Care's Request for a Blank Wall
Multicare appears to have applied for a variance for their steam plant to put up a huge blank wall adjacent to Wright Park.
See:
http://wspwit01.ci.tacoma.wa.us/downloa … 091044.pdf
Instead of 388 sq. feet of transparant doors and glass, the application seeks to reduce this to 163 adding 225 of additional blank wall facing Wright Park from what they would normally be required. This would result in another aestically poor structure that we must look at for decades such as the side of a parking garage.
The building code is incredibly lax. Yet, Multicare wants a variance for even this minimum building requirement.
Comments will be accepted until June 19th.
Please consider mailing and/or emailing a comment in to them.
Lisa Spadoni
Building and Land Use Services Division
Public Works Department
Room 345
747 Market Street
Tacoma, WA 98402
lisa.spadoni@cityoftacoma.org
To make up for the variance, the applicant seeks to have a place for "art work."
Also a disappointment, the city appears to be exempting the project from any SEPA review whatsoever.
Please consider commenting so that the structure can does not look so aesthetically poor. Perhaps some fake windows can be put in.
Let's design and build Tacoma so that it is a place worth caring about
Blog: Tacoma Urbanist: http://i.feedtacoma.com/Erik/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tacoma-urbanist
Offline
#2 2007-06-08 15:00:52
- DavidS
- Active Member
- Registered: 2007-01-04
- Posts: 32
Re: Oppose Multi Care's Request for a Blank Wall
Erik-
You may want to clarify w/ Lisa what exactly is exempt from SEPA. The variance has to do with facade improvements - something that is not typically a SEPA trigger. The variance makes no mention of the building square footage itself - something that would typically trigger SEPA. Perhaps there is a plan to address SEPA independently of the variance.
(It seems like they've got to do environmental review somewhere.)
Offline
#3 2007-06-13 04:25:03
Re: Oppose Multi Care's Request for a Blank Wall
One would think that there would be some sort of review process... but there's not - it's an open door.
On a related note, this was sent to me today- an article by the fine folks that put on the public meeting last year to "activate" downtown parks, Project for Public Spaces (PPS):
Transforming Hospitals into Healthy Places for Everyone
Notable quotes:
"We're looking at how hospitals have institutionalized themselves, creating boundaries and barriers to the community sense. "
and
"Ultimately we want a healthy community... hospitals can focus more than on just medical help by looking at other aspects of health. PPS really opened my eyes to new ways to promote healthy living. It helps broaden the definition of what a hospital is."
Multicare should really consider flying these guys out here again. For the sake of community.
Offline
#4 2007-06-13 04:27:41
Re: Oppose Multi Care's Request for a Blank Wall
Good cite Morgan.
Remember the Planning Commission will take public comment until June 19th.
Let's design and build Tacoma so that it is a place worth caring about
Blog: Tacoma Urbanist: http://i.feedtacoma.com/Erik/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tacoma-urbanist
Offline
You are not logged in.
