Status
The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 27825, as amended, on August 11, 2009, amending Section 13.06A.060 of the Tacoma Municipal Code, eliminating off-street parking requirements for new construction in the designated International Financial Services Area (IFSA) of Downtown Tacoma.
City Council Process
The City Council conducted two public hearings - the first one on April 14, 2009 concerning the "Original Proposal" and the second one on July 14, 2009 concerning the "Modified Proposal." The "Modified Proposal" was eventually adopted.
The "Original Proposal" was recommended by the Planning Commission on March 18, 2009, that would eliminate the existing minimum and maximum off-street parking requirements. The "Modified Proposal" would require new buildings in the IFSA to provide, as a minimum, accessible parking spaces calculated on the number of parking stalls that are currently required under City code (i.e., per ADA, between 2-4% of any parking actually provided shall be accessible for people with disabilities).
Posted below are the documents relating to the "Modified Proposal":
Planning Commission Process
The following documents represent the record of the Planning Commission's deliberations and development of the proposed amendments to the Downtown Code, as requested by the City Council, per Resolution No. 37508. Also posted is a link to the City's Green Ribbon Climate Action Task Force, of which the scope of study includes parking as a critical aspect.
Why are we updating the downtown code?
Resolution No. 37508 (as listed above) designates an International Financial Services Area (IFSA) as a special emphasis area within Downtown Tacoma, where expansion, retention and recruitment of international financial services businesses will be encouraged. The resolution also requests that the Planning Commission evaluate, and recommend necessary changes to, zoning regulations targeted at accomplishing the intent of the IFSA designation. As an immediate follow-up on the resolution, the City Manager and the City Council's Environment and Public Works Committee requested the Planning Commission to evaluate a proposal to eliminate the off-street parking requirements within the IFSA. This is also intended as the first implementation step of the Downtown Element of the Comprehensive Plan.
What is the Downtown Element of the Comprehensive Plan?
The Downtown Element, adopted by the City Council on December 9, 2008, provides general goals and policies to guide growth and development in the downtown area. The downtown area is generally bounded by Division on the north, I-5 on the south, Yakima on the west and includes the Thea Foss Waterway and the Tacoma Dome area. The element outlines a vision for dense housing, good design, open spaces and connected transportation networks. For more information, visit either Comprehensive Plan or Downtown Plan Update.
Staff Contact
Ian Munce, (253) 573-2478, imunce@cityoftacoma.org
Donna Stenger, (253) 591-5210, dstenger@cityoftacoma.org