A few weeks ago, I published a blog entry about the trash accumulation and the homeless encampments under I-705, near The Esplanade. To read that blog entry, you can click HERE. Since that time, numerous Esplanade residents have stopped me around the building to talk about this growing concern, and other residents have also jumped into action. Given the level of apparent interest in this problem, I thought an update on the subject would be appropriate.
Julie Kramer (unit 708) was able to capture the problem in a series of photos which are much better than the ones on my original blog post. Julie sent the photos to me, as well as to the Foss Waterway Development Authority, the WSDOT, the City of Tacoma, and the folks at Johnny's. I would suggest sending the photos to the Foss Waterway Owners' Association as well, and seeking involvement from the business owners at London's Salon and Smith-Alling. Here are Julie's photos:
Patricia O'Donnell (Unit 205) posted a comment on my original blog entry, stating that she would be willing (with help from one or two others) to organize a meeting in The Esplanade community room to talk about the issue. Patricia stated that she liked the idea of making the area into a dog park, and that she recently spoke with a Thea's Landing dog owner who would also love to see a local off-leash dog park.
Stefan and April Green (Unit 510) started a conversation on Facebook about the problem, which drew comments from several other residents. Apparently there is some debate on the entity responsible for the area - the City of Tacoma, WSDOT, and Burlington Northern all have an interest. The actions taken by Julie, Patricia, Stefan, April and the other residents who have made phone calls and sent emails may seem small. But I believe that is how big things start - with neighbors talking to neighbors, and people organizing behind a common cause. If we want our neighborhood (and by extension, all of downtown Tacoma) to thrive and improve, it is up to us to start these types of grassroots movements. A meeting in our community room would be an excellent start - maybe we could even get representatives from the city and the DOT to come listen to our concerns and hear our ideas.
Finally, I did a little more research myself into problem areas like this in other cities, and I still believe that converting the area under I-705 into an off-leash dog park is the very best solution. However, an alternative method used by some cities to prevent homeless encampments is to cover the area with boulders, which would be far less expensive than converting the area into a dog park. A video of the boulder strategy being used in Portland can be seen HERE, and I was also able to find a couple pictures from other cities:
Thank you so much for this posting Dan. I have sent the following message to Councilmember Thoms and a copy to Claire at the Owner's Association. I am happy to coordinate a meeting with all those who share the same concerns about this issue and hopefully include folks from the City, WSDOT, BNSF, Waterway Authority and area businesses. Fellow residents, please let me know if you would like to be involved, by contacting me at julie.kramer@comcast.net.
ReplyDeleteCouncilmember Thoms,
I am writing today with a growing concern shared by many of us who live and work on Dock Street -- the homeless encampment(s) and garbage littering the area below I-705.
I shared pictures I took this weekend with several individuals including representatives of WSDOT, the City, Thea Foss Waterway Authority and folks at Johnny's Bistro. Dan Hardebeck, who writes a blog for the area has posted the pictures and has identified others who have expressed concern and want to get involved, along with some possible solutions. You can find this post here: http://theesplanadetacomablog.blogspot.com/ You will also find photos of other cities who have put dog parks in similar areas further down on the blog.
I am saddened that every day I look out my window to what you see in these photos.
I would welcome the opportunity to coordinate a meeting on this issue. How would I go about doing so? Would you be willing to attend? Do you know who from BNSF should be involved - I understand this area is owned by numerous entities?
Thank you so much for listening. Being a Tacoma native, I have a deep love for this city. It would feel like a failure to move away from the Downtown core -- an area with so many special memories I hold from growing up here and where so many great things are happening.
Sincerely,
Julie Kramer
1515 Dock Street #708
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 209-7095
Thank you Julie! It is heartening to have found out today that there are many people voicing their concerns about the problem and stepping up to find solutions. In addition to concerned residents here at The Esplanade, Michael Hiller at Columbia Bank, Su Dowie at the FWDA, and Colin DeForrest with the city seem to be very active and vocal about the issue.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Su, Councilmember Robert Thoms is taking a proactive position on the issue and is setting up a meeting with the DOT, the railroad, the FWDA and the Dome District to initiate a plan to address the problem. Hopefully downtown residents will also be invited to the meeting.
I will post more on the blog as I find out more, but in the meantime, I would advise interested Esplanade residents to email both you and Councilmember Thoms to express their support.
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DeleteThanks so much Dan. Yes, anyone who is interested in participating in opportunities for the public to provide feedback, please contact me at julie.kramer@comcast.net and I will pass along anything I hear. I am very encouraged by the news from Councilmember Thoms. He wrote me and said "we will fix this."
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