Greetings District 5,

I’m thrilled to connect with you once again and share about some of the many exciting things happening in our beautiful City of Tacoma. In this newsletter we will be delving into the Pacific Avenue Subarea plan and where you’ll be able to learn about how you can help shape our city in innovative ways. I also had the privilege of being recently interviewed by our very own Sonja Hallum on TV Tacoma, where we discussed a myriad of issues facing our city and some of the highlights of my time on council so far. Your feedback is very important to both the City and me. I’d appreciate if you could take the time to fill out a brief survey on Tidy Up Tacoma so that we can keep Tacoma clean! Moreover, I’m very excited to spotlight our strides in enhancing government transparency and accountability through our Tacoma Open Data portal!

Allow me to introduce Emma Fabi, an incoming junior from the Science and Math Institute (SAMI), who has been shadowing me throughout August. Nurturing this connection between our bright young minds and the workings of our government is a paramount goal of mine. Emma had the honor of meeting influential figures such as the Mayor, Council Members, and even Senator Maria Cantwell—an experience that we hope will inspire her and others to explore the possibilities of leadership and public service. 

Thank you,
Council Member Joe Bushnell
City of Tacoma, District 5

Topics in this newsletter include:

• Community Invited to ‘Picture Pac Ave’
• Inside Tacoma Interview
• Metro Parks Considering Proposal to Relocate Fire Station 7
• Tidy Up Tacoma Survey
• Launching Tacoma’s Open Data Portal
• Pierce Transit Invites Public Input on Recovery Plan
• Out in the Community

Community Invited to ‘Picture Pac Ave’

The City of Tacoma is partnering with the community to create “Picture Pac Ave” – a long-term vision and plan for growth and development along Pacific Avenue from approximately I-5 to South 96th Street. Over the coming decades, “Picture Pac Ave” will guide future investments – including priority investments for infrastructure and public amenities – and support planned transit. It will also identify action steps, such as code and policy changes.

Pop-Up Locations and Events

City staff will be present throughout the summer at various pop-up locations and events throughout the Pacific Avenue corridor. This includes the Eastside Farmers Market, local businesses, walking tours, and more. Once available, additional details will be posted at cityoftacoma.org/PicturePacAve and on the City’s other official platforms.

Public Comment Period

As part of the “Picture Pac Ave” Project, the City will prepare a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which allows for an upfront, cumulative, and areawide evaluation of project impacts. The City issued a Determination of Significance (DS) on July 20, 2023, and posted it at cityoftacoma.org/PicturePacAve. The public comment period ends at 4:30 PM on August 31, 2023.

Comments can be emailed to PicturePacAve@cityoftacoma.org or mailed to:

Planning and Development Services
Attention: Wesley Rhodes
747 Market Street, Room 345
Tacoma, WA 98402-3701

Online Open House and Survey

The City is also hosting an online open house and survey through August 31, 2023.

Questions about the “Picture Pac Ave” project and requests to subscribe to project updates can be directed to Wesley Rhodes at PicturePacAve@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 208-0083.

Inside Tacoma Interview

Sonja Hallum, Chief Government Affairs Officer for the City of Tacoma and host of the City of Tacoma’s Inside Tacoma show, interviewed me as part of her Council series. We discussed District 5, my experience being raised in Tacoma and how I’ve watched the City change and grow, and future challenges and opportunities for the City.

Metro Parks Considering Proposal to Relocate Fire Station 7

Metro Parks Tacoma is considering a proposal to use the vacant corner of the SERA campus (South End Recreation & Adventure), near South 58th and South Tyler Street, for a new South Tacoma Fire Station. The new station would strategically place the Tacoma Fire Department in a better location to respond more effectively to the growing south end community while co-locating vital emergency response resources on the campus, a designated disaster response site.

The Metro Parks Board is considering this action, and as part of that process is engaging the public to collect feedback. I encourage you to visit their outreach webpage for Fire Station 7 to learn more about this proposal and take their survey.

You can also Metro Parks for their Community Open House on August 31, 6:00 pm at the STAR Center (3873 S 66th St Tacoma, WA 98409) in the Journey Hall room.

Tidy Up Tacoma Survey

Tacoma residents are invited to take a brief survey that will help guide how and where Tidy-Up Tacoma work crews should proactively increase scheduled clean-up activities in the coming year. 

Feedback from this survey will be used with information from other sources, including the Equity Index and reports from TacomaFIRST 311, to help identify the geographic areas where cleanup services should be enhanced. The survey is open now through September 10, 2023 and is translated into multiple languages. One respondent chosen at random will receive a $100 Visa gift card for completing the survey.  

Tidy-Up Tacoma is funded by a 6 percent excise tax on solid waste bills that took effect in April 2023. The excise tax is projected to generate $7 million dollars over two years to help support clean and healthy neighborhoods by expanding the following clean-up services: 

• Coordinated litter, debris, and graffiti cleanup services in the public right-of-way 
• Grounds maintenance and litter and debris cleanup on public trails
• Maintenance and replacement of public trash cans in business districts 
• Cleanup at and around encampment sites 
• More staff to proactively address litter issues in the community 
• Bill credit payment assistance to ease the burden on low-income households 
• Opportunities for the community to inform Tidy-Up Tacoma programs and services 

To learn more about Tidy-Up Tacoma, visit cityoftacoma.org/tidyup or call (253) 502-2100.

Launching Tacoma’s Open Data Portal

The City of Tacoma has launched Tacoma Open Data at cityoftacoma.org/tacomaopendata. The updated open data portal – which builds on lessons learned from the City’s work in data analytics – is designed to make it easier for people to access data from the City without legal restrictions on use or reuse.

The launch of Tacoma Open Data is a major step forward in our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability. With improved access to the City’s data, people can more effectively engage with the City and inform the work that the City does. Information truly is power and, with this tool, there are no limits to what you can do.

Tacoma Open Data currently provides access to 50 datasets, with additional datasets projected to be added in the coming months. Users will have the option of viewing data in a dashboard or map format. Data downloads are available in CSV, KML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and File Geodatabase formats.

Community members with questions about Tacoma Open Data can call 311 within Tacoma city limits, or (253) 591-5000 from anywhere else, for assistance.

Pierce Transit Invites Public Input on Recovery Plan

Pierce Transit has launched its Recovery Plan to strategically increase transit service. The Recovery Plan will help Pierce Transit better understand customers’ current needs and how to bounce back from the impacts of COVID, including recommendations for service options that can help improve mobility for all residents, current riders, and future riders.

Pierce Transit, like all transit agencies nationally, has been deeply impacted by the pandemic. Beginning in March 2020, Pierce Transit made service adjustments to ensure those relying on transit service could get to where they needed to go, including essential workers providing health care and other critical services. Other reductions in service were made due to staffing shortages that have persisted beyond the pandemic.

Many things have changed over the past three years, including people’s travel patterns and transportation needs, and Pierce Transit is seeking to reallocate resources to where the public needs them most. The agency invites Pierce Transit riders and the community at large to voice their priorities for the future of local transit by completing a Build Your Own System survey. Although pre-COVID service levels cannot be restored immediately, public input will help select the improvements that matter most to the community.

The survey is available at PierceTransitSurvey.com through August 31. Pierce Transit staff will also have the survey available at their booth at community events in August. The feedback the agency receives will be combined with statistics such as bus boardings and other data and developed into proposed improvements that will be presented to the public for further input.

Pierce Transit has been serving the people of Pierce County with local transit services since 1980. In 2022, Pierce Transit provided about 5.5 million rides to people who used the service for everything from getting to jobs and school, to accessing health care.

For information on services provided by Pierce Transit, visit www.PierceTransit.org.

Out in the Community

The Tacoma Tree Foundation hosted a Climate Leadership Cohort where I joined with Kenny Coble, the City’s Community Engagement Coordinator, and Kristi Lynett, the City’s Sustainability Officer, to discuss the work the City of Tacoma is doing on climate action and how folks can get involved in climate issues facing the city.

I had the pleasure of representing the City of Tacoma at the annual Korean War Memorial Remembrance at the Korean War Memorial in Olympia, WA. Pictured above is myself and Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle Seo, Eun-ji.

I and other Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders had the opportunity to visit and discuss important matters regarding the AAPI community with U.S. Senator Patti Murray. (May 24)

Manitou Park’s Walk & Roll to School Day. Way to walk & roll to school, Manitou Park Bulldogs! I joined families for Walk & Roll to School Day on this sunny Mayday. Bulldog families celebrated by walking, scooting, and biking together in their first ever Walking Parade through Manitou Park.

The City of Tacoma’s Safe Routes to School program partners with priority schools receiving construction improvements to host these fun encouragement events and bike rodeos. Learn more about the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) construction improvements happening this summer at: www.cityoftacoma.org/srts-engineering

I joined with the Larchmont and Blue Berry Park neighborhoods for a National night out!

I and Pierce County Councilmember Marty Campbell welcomed in the new abbot of the Wat Chantarangsy Khmer Krom Buddhist Temple Lok Khemara Chanh.

The National Association of Local Boards of Health visited the City of Tacoma for their 2023 National Conference. I and Council Member Olgy Diaz had the opportunity to host this delegation with representatives from across the country at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Had to give E.T. a high five!