Status - approved!
The proposed amendment has been approved by the State Department of Ecology (DOE). See the DOE letter, dated August 22, 2008, regarding "City of Tacoma Shoreline Master Program Limited Amendment; S-8 Thea Foss Waterway Height Amendment (Ordinance No. 27657)" (listed below).
Background
At issue is a proposal to increase the maximum allowable height from 100 feet to 180 feet for a small portion (Zone 1) of the S-8 Thea Foss Waterway Shoreline District for an area north of the Murray Morgan Bridge on the west side of the waterway. The alternative height provision would allow a podium and tower form of construction as opposed to the current regulations which dictate a tiered building form with smaller floorplates as the height increases, often referred to as a "wedding cake". The proposal was adopted by the City Council on November 16, 2004, upon the recommendation from the Planning Commission , as a part of the 2004 Annual Amendment. A subsequent review by the Department of Ecology suggested the need for re-evaluation of the proposal to address view impacts from public and residential properties if the proposed height amendment went into effect.
The City Council approved Ordinance No. 27657 on November 27,2007, which modified the shoreline regulations for the S-8 Thea Foss waterway district. The modified regulations allow for an increase of the maximum height from 100 feet to 180 feet for two development sites; limit the maximum height on the former Municipal Dock site to 90 feet; modified the building envelope and other standards; and reorganized various code sections for clarity. The ordinance was reconsidered on December 4, 2007, and amended to correct a technical error. The final Ordinance and the completed record of the City's deliberations concerning the code amendments and supporting official records were forwarded to the Department of Ecology (DOE) for review and approval. The effective date of the Ordinance will be the date of approval by the DOE.
Relevant Documents
3-D Models of Zoning Envelope
To evaluate the proposed height amendment, City staff prepared 3-D models of the zoning envelope that simulate a number of different perspectives and provide a "walk through" glimpse of how the sites could look at build-out.
Relevant Documents (previously released)
For more information contact Donna Stenger at (253) 591-5210 or dstenger@cityoftacoma.org