Tacoma Development News

[Vashon118]

Originally Posted by JacobR

They had a protest the other week and the city raised the bridge on them even though that was their permitted route. So I guess they aren't to happy with the city or the bridge at this point.

Was that around 4/26? I was in downtown Tacoma that day and noticed the span was partially raised.

[JacobR]

And the games begin.
2008 HQ Relocation Games!

First Russell
Then DaVita : Tacoma's DaVita looking for more space, but where?
City light pole saves DaVita Building from damage from runaway crane.... Now will DaVita return the favor??????
(oh check out the "Raw: Surveillance video captures Tacoma crane crash" and see the car that almost got ran over, that person was about a second away from loosing their life)

Now some are calling for Weyerhaeuser to move it's HQ back to Tacoma:
Weyerhaeuser should tap into its healthy roots

Another zone in Downtown Tacoma: Your chance to help Tacoma win $25 million

Should cities base tax credits on mobility?

[TacomaBoy]

Nice to see you're still alive and kicking, Jake.

So, this is quite interesting. At first I thought the city's Russell proposal was a bit excessive, but if Davita builds something new (as the potentially vacated current Russel HQ can't house 1,000 much less Davita's 865) AND Weyerhauser moves back into town, then maybe, just maybe I'll give city council a little more credit in the future.

Well, all things aside, if we can get any or all 3 of them to build up (as I've said before, over 545' to get "Tallest in the NW outside of Seattle" back from Portland... or bare minimum over 450' to show Bellevue how we do it down in the South Sound), we'll finally start moving into the 21st century at last.

Of course, aside from the obvious vanity about changing the skyline (no big changes since '85), the LIFT/RDA would bring some welcomed new life into downtown.
Regardless, it seems to me that downtown is finally going to get some love. And considering it's now chic to go urban, let's hope that love will keep spreading outward... there are many neighborhoods that need some help.

[TacomaBoy]

So, Friday after work I took a drive by 505 Broadway, camera in hand.
Something interesting happened... I ended up talking for a good 20 min with one of the leads. He had a few interesting things to say, most of them about the 3rd Narrows Bridge (which apparently he worked on). However, I asked him if he knew anything at all about a new Russell HQ. He did! Apparently, many of the local contractors are preparing to have bids ready to go for the new HQ.
Now, I know this is just hearsay, so do with it as you wish. I'm inclined to think that if local contractors are anticipating something going up, then maybe they know something I don't... I don't know how the bid process works, or why they'd have one pre-prepared... unless they anticipate stiff competition. Just that guy's 2 cents, I guess. Still interesting to hear, though.

So back onto the update!
This one taken from the lower edge of the Jay Heights site


Lookin' tall...


All steel on the inside and outside.


Even from ground-level on Broadway, you can see the water


Van in the garage...


Garbage chute and crane


Most awesome picture I've ever taken of a building under construction, and by a WIDE margin my favorite of 505


Elevator going UP!


Big ol' block from the crane


Which crane? THIS one!


Workers working hard. Least anyone forget, Tacoma was and still is a blue-collar town. Take pride in the work made at their hands!


You are HERE


More later, including the Midtown Lofts....

[JacobR]

Demolition of building clears way for change in Tacoma’s Hilltop


DREW PERINE/THE NEWS TRIBUNE

"A demolition crew began tearing down the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association’s former office building Monday, clearing the way for a planned $26 million mixed-use center in the Hilltop neighborhood.
The centerpiece of the three-building development is the MLK Business Center, a retail and office building on the corner of South 11th and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The organization wants to build it six stories tall, but needs the City Council to raise the maximum building height from 45 feet to 85 feet."


MARTIN LUTHER KING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION RENDERING

[JacobR]

Demolition of building clears way for change in Tacoma’s Hilltop


DREW PERINE/THE NEWS TRIBUNE

"A demolition crew began tearing down the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association’s former office building Monday, clearing the way for a planned $26 million mixed-use center in the Hilltop neighborhood.
The centerpiece of the three-building development is the MLK Business Center, a retail and office building on the corner of South 11th and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The organization wants to build it six stories tall, but needs the City Council to raise the maximum building height from 45 feet to 85 feet."


MARTIN LUTHER KING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION RENDERING

[TacomaBoy]

So nice, you posted it twice!

All things aside, I'm excited to see this finally happening. The old MLKHDA building was just plain awful, not just in terms of design, but also in it's condition. Come to think of it, I never remember it being that nice when it was a bank... my dad remembers it and says it was so bland that it made you yawn just walking in...

I like the red color, I like the prominent gazebo-ish tower on the corner.
What I'd like to see is more similar-sized development around it, also I'd like to see the city letting MLKHDA go 100' and have some sort of open-air produce market on the bottom floor, on the 11th street side, headed towards Bob's BBQ Pit. Been there Jake? It's phenomenal!

My great-grandparents on my Grandma's side lived near that area until the 50s (the house is long gone). My grandma still remembers the stores and food on K (it was still K then) when she was a little girl.
Hilltop is such a diamond in the rough, I am so glad to finally see some life coming back! The stretch between 9th and St Joes on 19th can be so awesome, as vibrant as 6th Ave and Proctor... it's long about time it started getting cleaned up.

Notice something? The pics were posted in the Trib... see what I see? (not that the arrow didn't give it away).
It's a News Tribune rack! Kinda cool, actually... just too bad I've dealt with those things too much for one lifetime (I used to work for the Trib).

[Vashon118]

The Commencement (05/17):















Point Ruston floating showroom (former Pierce Co. ferry M/V Steilacoom):

[TacomaBoy]

Nice pics, Vashon! Did you see any of the Point Ruston construction beginning? I hear it's started on Stack Hill..... Maybe I should see for myself.

So, for your enjoyment are some updates!

Midtown Lofts

From last week... I still love that stairway to nowhere. Kinda makes me think of a famous Led Zepplin song


The guard gave me a little flack... the first time! Does that mean I'm part of the club now? Since I was out in the street he left me alone after the verbal lashing I got.


You can see it from the lower parts of downtown, this if from 11th and A. The white bldg on the side is the Washington Building...


I really zoomed in here.... not bad on the detail, it looks like another floor is ready to go up soon...

[TacomaBoy]

A couple more for now... I'll see what else I can get during the week.

Esplanade

Looks complete now! And it definitely looks sharper than I originally thought it would.


Backside facing the Thea Foss...


This really is the best view I've seen of it... very dramatic and lots of different activity.


Tacoma General

The boiler plant is coming along, but I really do not like it thus far (and therefore have been avoiding it). I'll get closer this week.
In the meantime, you can see how the crane dominates over Wright Park.


...and from this side too.


At first I was kind of hopeful that the plant would be low-key, but alas, for I was disappointed. I'm not sure what the Parks can do to offset this, maybe they can plant a nice row of fast-growing Poplar trees or something to hide it.

I think this week's Tacomic sums up a lot how folks in town (and my neighborhood especially) feel:

[mhays]

A security guard yelled at you? On what grounds? You were on public property.

Stuff like that makes me want to become a photographer. I'd tell him to piss off and ignore him. Let his overinflated self-importance pop.

[TacomaBoy]

Originally Posted by mhays

A security guard yelled at you? On what grounds? You were on public property.

Stuff like that makes me want to become a photographer. I'd tell him to piss off and ignore him. Let his overinflated self-importance pop.

Yeah, he was just a grumpy old man. It happened last week, and went something like this (not verbatim):

Guard: Boy, what are you doing?
Me: Taking a picture. Those stairs look crazy.
Guard: Boy, this is private property. You can't take pictures.
Me: I'm in the street. The street isn't private.
Guard: You better not be doing nothing funny here
Me: Just taking pictures, man.
Guard: Don't.
Me: Sorry, anything visible from public places is fair game. I can take pictures here all I like.
Guard: Boy, don't give me no sass. I'm watching you.

At which point he slowly returns to his trailer. I think he was just bored (it was on a Sunday) and wanted to pick a fight.
Regardless, I'll take all the pictures I want. Mhays, if you start poking around construction sites it'll likely happen eventually. The world is full of asshats.

[TacomaBoy]

Swung by the future Pac Place last week. They're moving along on this one. Sure, no new floors gone up yet, but they're getting there.

From down on 12th and Pac Ave. Notice the capped off rebar lining the top?


It's a mess inside! But what else to expect from a construction site, no?


Forms for the new and enhanced columns


The forms up close. We have setting concrete, people!


Inside the entrance... new columns in the back


More rebar cages ready to go...


Inside, on the 3rd floor. Pardon the cruddy quality, as the doors were blocked off and this was taken through a dirty window.


Look at all the rebar sticking up out of the old walls! Anyone more familiar with construction able to guess how long before they'll start going up? A nice view of the neighbors from up there. It'll be pretty slick when there are 4 more floors of height...


The TFC absolutely dominates the view at top. You can see Wells Fargo reflected in the TFC, although Wells isn't nearly as dominating (it's farther away, you know)


Off towards the south-east, we'd have an awesome view of Mt Rainier in good weather. As it is, we have the T-Dome, the Esplanade, Thea's Landing, the cable-stay bridge on SR-509, the Museum of Glass cone and the old Schonefield's-now-DaVita building.
See the lot full of USPS vehicles? That's the Haub site, one of the proposed sites for a future scraper HQ for Russell. If they put up anything big there, this view is toast.
Kinda sad the price we pay for progress...

[TacomaBoy]

I see this one on a regular basis, and it impresses me how fast it's going.

From Neighbor's Park, last week


Oh man... imagine how nice this balcony would be on a hot day.


In front, on 9th. It looks pretty good, even if it is [shudder] white [/shudder]


From the alley.


Inside the garage


Why do I see it regularly?
My community garden plot is nearby! Nothing beats fresh veggies

[JacobR]

I took a tour of the Hillcrest Apartments last week. Here are some pics:

[TacomaBoy]

Looks like great minds truly think alike.
Those views up there are stunning! Now, If I'm not mistaken, the zoning allows them to go 150' in that area (correct me if I'm wrong) and this building has to be pushing 60'... imagine the view from the upper limits of the limit!


Man, I bet you could see my apartment from up there. So how'd you get the tour, Jake? Did you just ask or was it some sort of realtor perk?
Seriously, I'd love in on some of these tours (the Hillcrest especially)

...speak of, whatever happened to USAPatriot's promised "insider" info and pics from the Tacoma Condo Tour?

[JacobR]

The current zoning, R5, allows 150' but that area is being rezoned to the Mixed-Use Center zoning. Right now the city has it going to 45' up to 65' with bonuses. Some of the interested parties in the neighborhood are trying to get the city to go to 85'.

I have known the developer for a few years so I just asked. He said I could have another tour when it is done.

The building has some great spacious layouts and the top floor penthouses will be great.

[JacobR]

Construction of Point Ruston Begins


picture from TNT Biz Buzz Blog

Construction of the first major building in the billion-dollar Point Ruston development near Point Defiance Park is finally underway.

Seventy-two concrete trucks poured the foundation for the eight-story, 143-unit Copperline condominium building beginning Wednesday.

Excavation had been going on for that foundation for several weeks, said developer Mike Cohen.

He plans to begin a second condo building of about 100 units in about nine months. Cohen said he's got a list of about 600 prospects who've registered on the Point Ruston Web site.

After the second structure, Cohen hopes to begin a Silver Cloud hotel structure and buildings near the urban village center that will contain restaurants and more shops.


Point Ruston Website

picture from PointRuston.com

[mhays]

Point Ruston looks great.

That's funny about the security guard. Doesn't sound like a bright guy at all! I'd have had fun with that conversation, particularly the "boy" part as well as the misplaced sense of authority.

[bgwah]

Ruston will probably become the most densely populated city in the state, haha.