Historic Tacoma and the South Tacoma Business District announced today they will hold a community meeting on Thurs., Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. to discuss the past, present, and future of one of Tacoma’s oldest neighborhoods.
“Historic Tacoma is beginning to work more closely with neighborhoods and business districts to preserve the city’s architectural heritage while encouraging economic development,” said Historic Tacoma Board President Sharon Winters in a press release. “We believe that the most credible advocates for the conservation of neighborhood character and historic structures are the people who live in their midst. Historic Tacoma recently reached out to the district, believing that South Tacoma includes one of the most intact historic commercial districts in the city.”
According to Winters, the district possesses a number of culturally and architecturally significant structures that tell the community’s story, from the Northern Pacific maintenance shops of the 1890s, the businesses and homes that were constructed in the early part of the century, to today’s third and fourth generation business owners. “The new commuter rail station and design plans for the South Tacoma mixed use center will cause property owners to consider the future character, scale and development of the district,” added Winters. “The city’s application of building codes that encourage the rehabilitation and re-use of historic structures in an economically feasible manner adds yet another opportunity to enhance the unique qualities of the district.”
Participants at the Feb. 10 meeting will have an opportunity to identify concerns about the historic core of the business district, share their hopes for the future of the neighborhood, and lean more about financial incentives for the rehabilitation of historic structures, the City’s facade improvement program, and related low-interest loan and grant programs.
The meeting will be held at the South Park Community Center, 4851 South Tacoma Way. For more information, visit http://www.historictacoma.org .
