1 of 7 Funding Application Competition Regional TAP Application Type Bicycle and Pedestrian Status submitted Submitted: September 20th, 2017 4:36 PM Project Information 1. Project Title Revitalizing Tacoma's Brewery District with Complete Streets: Phase I 2. Transportation 2040 ID 4432 3. Sponsoring Agency Tacoma 4. Cosponsors N/A 5. Does the sponsoring agency have "Certification Acceptance" status from WSDOT? Yes 6. If not, which agency will serve as your CA sponsor? N/A Contact Information 1. Contact name Ian Munce, AICP 2. Contact phone 253-573-2478 3. Contact email [email protected] Project Description 1. Project Scope Our proposed Bike and Pedestrian project will add bike lanes, curb ramps, pedestrian refuge islands, upgrade crossings, upgrade signals for bicycle detection/APS, improve ADA accessibility, add mid-block crossings, and bicycle amenities. This request for funding will complete Phase I of the project. More specifically, the project will deploy traffic calming measures along S Fawcett St from S 19th to S 6th, including new curb ramps, curb extensions, pedestrian islands, and mid-block crossings to provide a greater measure of safety for the various users of the right-of-way. S 15th St from S Fawcett to S Yakima will also be improved with a striped bicycle lane to connect the Brewery District with the funded Hilltop LINK light rail service. This is an extension of the bicycle lane that exists from S Yakima to S Cedar, providing a prominent link between S J (future bicycle boulevard) and S Fawcett (bicycle boulevard). Similar improvements for non-motorized access, safety, and mobility will be made in the district as warranted and as private investments are leveraged with the grant dollars. 2. Project Justification, Need, or Purpose In order for the City of Tacoma to meet its planned growth targets and accommodate an influx In order for the City of Tacoma to meet its planned growth targets and accommodate an influx 2 of 7 of private developments, it must shift away from new transportation facilities that are auto dominated in favor of a balanced multimodal "complete streets" transportation system. This project does both. Today there is over $1 billion in new construction is either in permitting or under construction in the Brewery District. Initial estimates show approximately 1,000 new housing units and approximately 500 new permanent jobs (see Attachment D for a comprehensive map/locations). This scale of redevelopment warrants infrastructure upgrades that are consistent with regional and local policies for managed growth and redevelopment. Approximately $20 million of utility improvements for water, sewer, stormwater, and road reconstruction are currently programmed. These investments will be leveraged with private developments and other public projects for streets and improved mobility required to help ensure a mode shift toward an active transportation system. The grant will help to capitalize on this unique opportunity to create a more inviting, safe, and well connected environment for bicyclists and pedestrian along S Fawcett and S 15th and nearby regional transportation facilities. This project will improve S Fawcett to serve as a north-south bicycle and pedestrian "spine" of the Brewery District, introducing necessary traffic calming improvements to make Fawcett a bicycle boulevard with a primary east-west connection being made on S 15th from this bike boulevard to the neighboring bike boulevard in Hilltop (S J Street) and better connecting people to/from the Brewery District to the Tacoma LINK Light Rail Extension and subsequently to the Tacoma Dome Station (Regional Transit Center). Project Location 1. Project Location City of Tacoma 2. Please identify the county(ies) in which the project is located. Pierce 3. Crossroad/landmark nearest the beginning of the project 19th & Fawcett 4. Crossroad/landmark nearest the end of the project 6th & Fawcett 5. Map and project graphics TAP_BreweryDistrict_ProjectLocation.pdf Plan Consistency 1. Is the project specifically identified in a local comprehensive plan? Yes 2. If yes, please indicate the (1) plan name, (2) relevant section(s), and (3) page number where it can be found. One Tacoma Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Master Plan, pp42,71, 75, and 77 South Downtown Subarea Plan p 155 North Downtown Subarea Plan, pp135 and 159 (see Table) 3. If no, please describe how the project is consistent with the applicable local comprehensive plan, including specific local policies and provisions the project supports. N/A Federal Functional Classification 1. Functional class name 16 Urban Minor Arterial Support for Centers 1. Describe the relationship of the project to the center(s) it is intended to support. For example, is it located within a designated regional, countywide or local center, or is it located along a corridor connecting to one of these areas? In the heart of the Downtown Tacoma Regional Growth Center, the full "Revitalizing Tacoma’s Brewery District with Complete Streets” (Project #4432) project was ranked by PSRC as one of the top four projects in the Draft Transportation 2040 Regional Capacity Project List. 3 of 7 The Growing Transit Opportunities Potential for the Downtown Tacoma RGC are set forth in five distinct character areas: Convention Center, Stadium, Tacoma Dome, Theater District, and Union Station. Taken together the Convention Center and Union Station generally correspond to the Brewery District. PSRC’s Growing Transit Communities Strategy (GTCS) identifies the Downtown Tacoma Regional Growth Center (RGC) Implementation Approach as “Stimulate Demand”. The GTCS analysis of the Opportunities Potential in this District are set forth in Attachments A1 and A2. Regarding local planning, the District is located within a designated Regional Growth Center and as such is expected to accommodate a significant share of Tacoma’s population and employment growth. It is also located within the South and North Tacoma Downtown planning subareas. The City of Tacoma has completed a set of subarea plans and programmatic EISs for the Downtown RGC, including the entire Brewery District. With these actions, the city hopes to foster a transition from primarily industrial and commercial uses to a mix of retail, residential, and services, as well as to facilitate the implementation of the UWT master plan and campus expansion. The City has estimated that, under current zoning, underutilized properties in the Brewery District and the balance of South Downtown could accommodate 30,000 more people and 40,000 more jobs in a transit rich environment, served by the LINK light rail since 2003, with the LINK light rail service extending to the Hilltop neighborhood in a couple of years. 2. Describe how the project supports existing and/or planned population/employment activity in the center. The City of Tacoma has completed a set of subarea plans and programmatic EISs for the Downtown RGC, including the entire Brewery District. With these actions, the city is expecting a transition from primarily industrial and commercial uses to a mix of retail, residential, and services, as well as to facilitate the implementation of the UWT master plan and campus expansion. The current trend for private investments in the sub-area are very encouraging. The city estimates that, under current zoning, underutilized properties in the Brewery District and the balance of South Downtown could accommodate 30,000 more people and 40,000 more jobs in a transit rich environment; PSRC's GTC's project funded much of this local planning work. Pre-approval of such large scale growth in the Brewery District, without further traffic studies and SEPA review, plus cohesive design standards and streamlined regulatory approvals will assist in stimulating new investments in the Brewery District. With over $1 billion in new construction is either in permitting or under construction today: initial estimates are for approximately 1,000 housing units and 500 jobs; see Attachment C for locations. This scale of redevelopment requires major infrastructure upgrades. Approximately $20 million of water, sewer, stormwater, and road reconstruction is currently programmed and along with frontage improvements for new developments will result in approximately one mile of repaved streets. This grant application will, if funded, capitalize on this opportunity build safe, accessible bicycle and pedestrian corridors on S Fawcett and S 15th. 3. Describe how the project helps the center develop in a manner consistent with the adopted policies and plans for the center. Tacoma's land use policies, zoning regulations, and development standards are crafted to accommodate the planned growth in part through the expansion of the non-motorized network. This project fits within the future bicycle network and pedestrian prioritization (20 minute neighborhoods), both of which are identified in the Transportation Master Plan. The three Subarea Plans for the Downtown Tacoma Regional Growth Center (certified by PSRC) contain an integrated set of policies, action items, and a prioritized capital program. This project is integral to all of these. More specifically, this project is listed as a short term priority item in both the Subarea Plans and the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan: One Tacoma Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Master Plan, p 42, 71 , 75, and 77 South Downtown Subarea Plan p 155 and North Downtown Subarea Plan, pp135 and 159 (see Table) Criteria: Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects 1. Describe how the project extends or completes a regional or local bicycle and pedestrian system, and/or adds facilities to an existing bicycle and pedestrian system or network. This Phase I project will design and construct Complete Streets improvements along S Fawcett from S 19th to S 6th. The improvements are expected to provide bicyclists and pedestrians with a greater measure of safety and accessibility. The completed project is also expected to attract additional users thereby reducing the reliance on Single Occupant Vehicles (SOV's) in downtown Tacoma. Additionally, S 15th St will be improved with a striped bicycle lane to better connect the Brewery District uphill to the Hilltop LINK light rail stations.