Title
Briefing on Tacoma’s Waterfront Redevelopment and the Issue of Site Contamination
Report
Issue:
Panelist briefing including question and answer period. The briefing will start with a presentation about Tacoma’s Thea Foss waterfront redevelopment and some of the tools they used to get there; then focus in on site contamination issues, including the basic regulatory framework, some legal and practical considerations for both the public and private sector, and an overview of some clean-up grants available to communities.
Staff Contact:
Amy Buckler, Senior Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.5847, abuckler@ci.olympia.wa.us
Presenter(s):
• Ian Munce, Assistant to the Dir. of Planning & Development Services, City of Tacoma
• Chuck Wolfe, Environment & Land Use Planner, Attorney and Author
• Alan Bogner, Washington State Department of Ecology, Toxics Cleanup Program
• Tiffany Johnson, Washington State Department of Ecology, Toxics Cleanup Program
Background and Analysis:
The recently updated Comprehensive Plan describes our community’s vision for downtown: As a social, cultural and economic center of the region, we want downtown to be an active, compact and attractive place that is walkable, bicycle-friendly, and full of shops, public spaces, public art and landscaping. We also expect downtown to gain 5,000 new residents over the next 20 years.
Later in 2015, the City will kick off a public process to develop strategic priorities for implementing our downtown goals over the next 5-6 years. In anticipation of this process, the Planning Commission has planned two briefings to increase awareness about downtown issues. This second briefing includes information about what Olympia can learn from the City of Tacoma’s experience with downtown/waterfront redevelopment and issues of site contamination, as described above. A one hour presentation will be followed by one hour of question and answers with the panelists.
The first briefing on downtown transportation and innovation was held March 16, 2015. Both briefings are videotaped and available for viewing on the City’s website after April 10. Questions? Call Amy Buckler at 360.570.5847.
MORE INFORMATION IN ATTACHMENTS:
Attachments 1-4 are reports prepared during 2013-2014 as part of the City Council’s ongoing exploration of a possible Community Renewal Area (CRA) for downtown. While the CRA is not the focus of this briefing, these reports provide related background information about downtown, including: economic and environmental challenges, market characteristics, potential tools and funding options.
Attachment 5 describes the general regulatory framework around cleaning up site contamination, and some of Olympia’s recent history with clean-up efforts.
Options:
Following the briefing, the Chair will facilitate a question and answer period.