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32 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

FIG. 2-1 Historic character buildings are interspersed among more contemporary structures throughout the North

Downtown Subarea.

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 33

NORTH DOWNTOWNCONTEXT

02

THE NORTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA

The Downtown Core

DRAFT

34 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

FIG. 2-2 SOUTH DOWNTOWN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN “CHARACTER AREAS”

character areas map

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 35

St. Helens

FIG. 2-3 A view of Old City Hall and the Theater District light

rail station.

FIG. 2-4 Commerce Street serves as North Downtown’s

transit hub, providing transit users with an opportunity to

make connections between the bus and light rail systems.

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36 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

FIG. 2-5 Wright Park’s 27 acres include public amenities

such as a loop trail, an arboretum, lawn bowling courts,

picnic and play areas, and an outdoor performance venue.

FIG. 2-6 The Stadium district is home to a variety of

multifamily housing options, including condos as well as

rental units.

FIG. 2-7 The locally-owned Stadium Thriftway, located

on North 1st Street, has been operating as a full-service

grocer in the Stadium District since 1985.

FIG. 2-8 The Triangle Townhomes, a 27-unit condo

development in the St. Helens district, are one of the first

Built Green projects in downtown Tacoma.

FIG. 2-9 Tacoma’s First Presbyterian Church, founded

in 1873, has been at its current location since 1925. The

Romanesque structure was designed by famous church

architect Ralph Adams Cram.

FIG. 2-10 Bates Technical College’s downtown campus is

located on two city blocks between South 11th and 13th

Streets, on the west edge of the North Downtown subarea.

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 37

The Stadium District

The Thea Foss Waterway

FIG. 2-11 Stadium High School, a Tacoma icon, has been

part of the Tacoma Public School system since 1906.

FIG. 2-12 North Downtown has little single family housing

stock. What does exist can be found on the north and west

edges of the Stadium District.

FIG. 2-13 The Center for Urban Waters research facility,

located on the east bank of the Thea Foss Waterway, opened

after the completion of the Superfund site remediation.

38 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

1 inch = 1/4 mile

FIG. 2-14 NORTH DOWNTOWN TOPOGRAPHY, 10’ CONTOURS

North Downtown

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 39

HISTORY

The Downtown area wa

in Downtown

wa

FIG. 2-15 Renovation work on the Murray Morgan Bridge

was completed in time to celebrate its 100th anniversary in

February of 2013. The bridge serves as an important link

between downtown Tacoma and the Port of Tacoma.

FIG. 2-16 Old City Hall’s freestanding clock tower, which

serves as a downtown landmark, was not part of the original

1893 structure - it was added nine years later, in 1904.

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40 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

FIG. 2-17 Theater on the Square provides a venue for

outdoor performances in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

FIG. 2-18 Pedestrian amenities, such as this urban park and

water feature at corner of South 11th Street and Broadway,

contribute to the quality of the downtown urban streetscape.

FIG. 2-19 A view from Broadway east toward structured

and surface parking flanking Commerce Street.

FIG. 2-20 Parking garages and character structures flank

the sidewalks along Pacific Avenue in the Downtown Core.

FIG. 2-21 Theater on the Square provides a venue for

outdoor performances in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 41

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

FIG. 2-22 Neighborhood-scale commercial development at

the intersection of N 1st Street & St. Helens Avenue.

FIG. 2-23 The Stadium District provides a range of housing

options, from single-family houses to midrise apartments.

FIG. 2-24 A north-facing view along Tacoma Avenue South

illustrates the range of mid- and high-rise housing in the St.

Helens district.

42 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

1 inch = 1/4 mile

FossWaterway

Pacific Avenue

South 15th Street

S 6th Avenue

Division Avenue

WrightPark

Tacoma Avenue S

Comm

erce Street

South 11th Street

FIG. 2-28 EXISTING LAND USE BASED ON TAX PARCEL DATA

Vacant

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 43

FIG. 2-29 LAND USE AREA PERCENTAGES

vacant 8% commercial

14%

educational

3%

industrial

17%

institutional 13%

single-

family 2%

parks 11%

parking

8%

office 10%

multifamily 14%

LAND USE AND ZONING

44 CITY OF TACOMA SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN

LEGEND

FIG. 2-30 EXISTING ZONING

1 inch = 1/4 mile

HMX

RCX

RCX

NCX

NCX

NCX

RCX

URX

NRX

NCX

HMX

R3

C2

DR

R2

M2

DCC

M2

PMI

PMI

M2

M2

M1

R4L

R3

R2

URX

NCXR2-SRD

R4L

UCX-TD

R4

R4LRCXC2

RCXNCX

R3

M1

R4L

R2

C1

NCX

RCX

C1

R2

R3 DR

DMU

WR

DMU

S-8

S-8

S

R2 One-Family DwellingR2-SRD One-Family Dwelling - Special ReviewR3 Two-Family Dwelling

C1/C2 Commercial

DMU Downtown Mixed-Use

M1 Light IndustrialM2 Heavy Industrial

S-8 Shoreline

UCX-TD Urban Center Mixed-UseNCX Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use

HMX Hospital-Medical Mixed-Use

ZONING DESIGNATIONS

1 inch = 1/4 mile

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SOUTH DOWNTOWN SUBAREA PLAN CITY OF TACOMA 45

Shoreline

S