Tacoma City Council’s Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee Tuesday approved a do-pass recommendation to amend an existing development agreement and direct $358,000 toward redesigning the 12th Street hillclimb between Pacific Avenue and Commerce Street.

The money would come from existing Real Estate Excise Tax revenue and re-appropriating funds from the North Park Plaza garage to the Pacific Plaza garage. The full City Council is expected to vote on the amendment during an upcoming council meeting.

According to the developer, Pacific Plaza Management LLC, the new hillclimb design would create a “screen” for the loading dock and freight elevator; provide a central area with tables and chairs that could be used for restaurant seating; and remove the existing zig-zag pattern of stairs in order to create a “straight shot” between Pacific Avenue and Commerce Street.

The hillclimb is part of an overall $35 million renovation of Park Plaza South, the decades-old and crumbling five-story parking garage located near South 13th and Commerce streets.

When completed this summer, the revamped facility will boast two new floors of office space, one new level of parking, and expanded and improved street-level retail totaling approximately 32,000 square feet. It will provide approximately 500 parking stalls, and feature 24-hour-per-day security features such as key cards, improved lighting, branded floors, and open stairwell.

The developer is also pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) enhancements that would include a green roof with soil and vegetation (installation is expected to begin next week), irrigation cistern, and garage lighting and fixture controls. The goal? A much sought after LEED-platinum certification.

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