Randy Cook asked me to pass on some info to you all in regards to the Sound Transit extension through the dome district. It seems that this issue is not as complete as it seems. As we used to understand it (at least how I had worked it out...). Sound transit was stopped by the city and the local AIA SWW office for the time being and some of the AIA SWW proposals were being considered into the design.
Turns out there are a few more twists and turns to the story that may be provide a good opening for us to get involved with. It seems that the Dome District Association is not happy with the city proposals and is also upset with what it sees as the city trying to hurry the process along with out giving a voice to the Dome district. The dome district would like the city and sound transit to revise their outlook for the dome's master planning. The dome district is also not happy with the proposed solutions on the table for the transit extension, and the master planning that the city has done in the area.
In a letter campaign to the city, the dome district has been invited to sit at the table with the city and sound transit to try to work out the transit extention and master planning of the area. It is the dome associations intentions to get the city to slow the process and allow for time to get the dome area to get a working plan together for itself and propose its own alternatives to the city and sound transit. Their is a meeting at the city on August 5th Tuesday to accomplish this.
Why we should be involved...
Once the dome district association has gotten the city to hold back, they will need to put together some proposals to ammend the city's and sound transit's master plan. This process has just begun, and a workshop has been held to address some issues. The Dome District Association also has regular meetings on Thursday mornings on these topics, and they have asked for AIA support in defining a vision for what the Dome district could become.
Anyone up for it?
Emerging Leaders is an open forum for Associates and Young Architects licensed up to 10 years in the field of architecture, as well as others in the design and construction industry.
The group's objective is to support individual and community development and to prepare young professionals for future leadership roles in design and the community.
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6 comments:
I am willing to sit in some meetings and see how we might be able to help. My time is a big concern and I cannot take on a load of new work, but collectively we might be able to have an impact.
The Dome District Association meets on Thursday mornings 7:30am at the mystic mocha cafe.
I think I am going to show up this thursday to introduce myself
Where is the Mystic Mocha Cafe?
The Mystic Mocha Cafe:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=TACOMA&address=402+E+26th+St&zipcode=98421
Is there a place where we could look at the previous planning or proposals that was shown to the DDA?
It would be good to look at what they didn't like about the proposals so we won't be suggesting it to them again.
I have attended one meeting so far, and I ended up missing the most recent planning meeting last Thursday.
First thing to say, this is not at all about the Sound Transit issue alone. The Dome district is about to be re-masterplanned by the city without consent/input by the dome district. When the Dome district brought up their disapproval with this, the city offered a meeting and report session. Of which the dome district is dissatisfied with.
The issue is... a lot of development is or is about to be going on in the dome district, and the dome district, including, but not inclusive to, The LeMay museum, Parking structures (possible expansion to the sound transit structure), Street improvements, Sounder Extension..to name a few. and no comprehensive plan has been implemented to address all of these functions working together.
The Dome district is very dissatisfied with the city. They feel that the city is treating them as Tacoma's "parking lot". The Sound Transit thing was sort of the "last straw" that galvinizied them into a cohesive group.
They currently have the ears of a few city council reps, as well as state representitive. They have spent the time developing some political clout. Now they have to come up with the actual ideas.
Thats where we may come in. We have the opportunity to come up with a master plan to counter the proposals from the city planning department.
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