Ten creative Tacomans are developing innovative ways to collect feedback about the proposed street redesign known as Links To Opportunity. The project proposes improvements to sidewalks, lighting, street furniture, wayfinding signage, trees, and landscaping along Martin Luther King Jr Way, Division Avenue, and North 1st Street.

Spaceworks Tacoma, working with the City of Tacoma, has contracted community engagement specialists to engage Hilltop neighbors through pop-up outreach events. Selected through referrals and a public call for applications, they include: Sariyah Ward, Brian Robinson, Gerardo Peña, Matamatanonofo Porter, Gwen Jones, Tiffanny Hammonds, Jasmine Brown, Whitney Brady, Dionne Bonner, and Dion Thomas. All of the specialist are local to Tacoma with at least half having roots in Hilltop.

Working side by side with consultants Christopher P. Jordan and Tera Williams, the resulting temporary projects will span from interactive chalking to a giant piñata. The collected data will guide the streetscape design elements of the Martin Luther King Jr. Way sidewalk area between 6th Avenue to 19th Street.

“We want to ensure that community vision is communicated and reflected in the design to the best of our ability,” said Andy Micklow, AICP, Project Senior Planner.

This isn’t the project’s first outreach effort with the community. From July to October 2017, Downtown on the Go, Sound Outreach – Hilltop Action Coalition, and Tacoma Housing Authority engaged in grassroots outreach with the Hilltop community.

Initiated in 2016 the Links to Opportunity Project works with the community in designing streetscape improvements along Sound Transit’s Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension route. The resulting streetscape design will enable safe access for all users including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities.

Visit www.spaceworkstacoma.com/project/linkstoopportunity.

– City of Tacoma