Tacoma City Club this Wednesday!

I'll be speaking at Tacoma's City Club this Wednesday in what should be a good event with lively discussion (and I promise fun historic photos with current day political commentary).  

The topic of the program is "Buses and Bikes and Streetcars, Oh My!"

The program will run from 11:30 until 1:15 this Wednesday at the Tacoma Art Museum. To RSVP for the event just email office@cityclubtacoma.org.

Here are the full details, see you on Wednesday:

Don't forget to register today for City Club's lunch this Wednesday about the future of transportation in Tacoma! (Note, if we have confirmed your reservation via email, then we know you're coming).

RSVP by replying to this email by today, September 19, at 5:00 pm. Members: $16; Non-Members $22.

What is Tacoma's transit future? How will rising gas prices affect our mobility around the city?

Diane Wiatr, Mobility Coordinator for the City of Tacoma, and Andrew Austin, with the Transportation Choices Coalition, will speak about Tacoma's transit plans and the state of bike lanes, street car extensions, and getting people moving in Tacoma.

Lunch: Tacoma Art Museum. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., lunch is served at noon and the program ends by 1:15 p.m. 

Special Pricing! City Club is trying out a special pricing option for this program. Lunch will be a light sandwich and salad option, with dessert. Price for the lunch for members is $16 (instead of a normal $22).

Members may still attend for the coffee and dessert rate of $8 and skip the lunch altogether. This is an option available to members only.

Non-members may attend the program for $22.

Tacoma Link Commerce Street Station opens on Sept 29th

Sound Transit and the City of Tacoma will welcome light rail passenger service to the new Commerce Street stop in downtown Tacoma tomorrow. The new Tacoma Link station at 11^th and Commerce Street marks the sixth stop on the 1.6-mile line that serves as a major connector in downtown Tacoma. 

Downtown On the Go will host a dedication ceremony at the new stop on at 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 to celebrate the opening.

The project was paid for and led by the city of Tacoma in coordination with Sound Transit. It includes two 40-foot platforms – one on the west side of Commerce Street for southbound riders and another on the east side for northbound travelers – platform lighting, accessibility ramps, security cameras, and passenger shelters that incorporate etched glass artwork by Tacoma artist Chandler O’Leary. The new station opens at a time when ridership on Tacoma Link is growing, increasing 16 percent in the last year to 3,330 riders a day.

“Our new light rail station will not only give business district transit users greater access to Tacoma Link,” said Mayor Marilyn Strickland, “but also bring residents, commuters, and visitors to more destinations, making it even easier for people to get around downtown.” 

Join the celebration on the 29th!

TNT Reports "Pierce Transit cuts to stay""

The Tacoma News Tribune is reporting that the temporary cuts that Pierce Transit enacted due to the fueling station fire are here to stay.  The cuts, which have amounted to a 20% reduction, will stay in place until October when there will be an additional 15% reduction in service.  As it stands right now the high frequency trunk routes 1,2, and 3 will be cut by 30-40% in October from their original levels, which will directly hurt the areas that supported proposition one the most.

Safe to say, it is a tough time for transit riders & advocates in Pierce County right now.  The good news is the cuts plan is not finalized and advocates and citizens can make comments to the Pierce Transit Board about the proposed cuts at a series of upcoming public meetings.

I heard from Pierce Transit that they have not had to lay off any drivers yet at the agency because they have to have all drivers working to keep buses on the street and fueled.  That said, it is a tough time for bus drivers in Pierce County right now with massive layoffs equaling 20% of the workforce on the imminent horizon.

Pierce Transit Riders and Drivers are Running out of Options

More from the Pierce Transit Press Release:

Pierce Transit Chief Executive Officer Lynne Griffith stated, “In response to comments we heard from our riders, the focus of this service change will be to get people to jobs and school and reduce low ridership routes and trips.”  The June 2011 service change will begin to incorporate elements of the reduction plan.  These service levels will be similar to the current emergency reduced service levels.  Details of the June service change will be published in The Bus Stops Here booklet available at the usual locations in early June.

Beginning April 2, the Reduction Plan Rider Alert pamphlet will be available on-board buses, at Bus Shop locations, at Pierce Transit Headquarters, and at piercetransit.org. This pamphlet provides route-by-route information about the proposed service reductions. 

SHUTTLE paratransit service for people with disabilities will also be reduced on October 2, 2011.  This service operates on the same days and during the same time within ¾ of a mile of bus routes.  As bus service is reduced, SHUTTLE service will be reduced.

Sound Transit Station Access Open Houses

The RAMP blog reports that Sound transit will be holding open houses to provide updates on their South Sounder Station access plans. 

These meetings are important to South Sound supporters of Transportation Choices because public input will help shape ultimately how this money is spent.  Should we fund more shuttle transit service and bike infrastructure to the stations or just build more free parking in the heart of our downtowns?  I bet you can't guess where we stand.

Please attend these meetings and make your voice heard!

WHAT:             In January, Sound Transit will host a series of open houses in South Sound communities to present information on the Sounder Station Access Planning Study. The agency is conducting the study to identify potential improvements in the ways commuters access its Sounder stations.

Possible improvements the agency is studying include increased parking, pedestrian sidewalks, crosswalks and bridges, bicycle commute options, and transit facility enhancements.

Open houses will include:

·         A description of Sound Transit service areas, transit routes, 2011 budget, and the Sound Transit 2 program

·        Objectives of and timeline for the Sounder Station Access Planning Study

·        Overview of existing station access issues and discussion of potential solutions

·        Informal Q & A and public comment

WHEN:  All events take place from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Tacoma - Tuesday, Jan. 18University of Washington -Tacoma Jane Russell Commons 1918 Pacific Avenue	Sumner - Wednesday, Jan. 19 Sumner School High School Commons 1707 Main St.
Puyallup - Thursday, Jan. 20Puyallup City Hall: Chamber Hall 333 South Meridian	Lakewood – Tuesday, Jan. 25 Lakewood Boys & Girls Club 10402 Kline St SW
Kent - Wednesday, Jan. 26Kent Senior Activity Center 600 E. Smith Street	Auburn - Thursday, Jan. 27Auburn City Hall: Council Chamber 25 W. Main Street

Save the Date: TCC South Sound Holiday Party on Dec 2nd

Transportation Choices South Sound Holiday Party

Bring in December with our first ever South Sound Holiday Party!  Join us in Tacoma for an evening of good cheer and all things transportation as we celebrate our successes and get ready for 2011.

WHEN: Thursday, December 2^nd from 5:30-7:30pm
WHERE: Paddy Coynes, 815 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma
GET THERE: via Link (Theater District Station) or the bus

This event is free and open to the public.

 

Second Tacoma Streetcar Stakeholder Meeting is Tonight

The group tasked with developing alignment principals for the Tacoma Link Extension will be having its second meeting tonight.

Information on the meeting is posted on the City of Tacoma's website here http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=15078.

The first meeting we toured various neighborhoods and potential alignments for Tacoma Link extension.  This meeting we will likely dig into more of the discussion around alignment principals for extension.  This stakeholder group is not tasked with recommending an alignment to the board; we are tasked with developing principals for the extension which we will then report to the Tacoma City Council and ST Board.

The meeting is tonight from 5-7pm at UWT in the Matress Factory Building in room 352 and is open to the public.  If you have any ideas around Tacoma Link extension principals please feel free to comment below or contact me. Andrew@transportationchoices.org

July 23rd FRIDAY FORUM: What Lies Ahead for the Tacoma Streetcar

Join us for a comprehensive update on rail transit in Tacoma this Friday!

In 2008 voters approved $80 million for Tacoma Link extension. Just how much rail can that buy? What's the difference between streetcars and light rail? What are the benefits of building more rail transit in Tacoma? Panelists Greg Walker from Sound Transit, Alisa O'Hanlon from the City of Tacoma and Bill LaBorde from Transportation Choices will be on hand to provide a comprehensive update on rail transit and answer your questions. Join us for a discussion on everything you need to know about the future of streetcars in Tacoma!

WHEN: Friday, July 23, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
WHERE: University of Washington Tacoma, Garretson Woodruff Pratt Building, Tacoma Room (Room 320) http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/campus_map/ (accessible by multiple bus routes and Tacoma Link)

Special thanks to the City of Tacoma and Downtown: On the Go! for sponsoring the Tacoma Streetcar Friday Forum. As always, feel free to bring your lunch. Coffee will be served.

Tacoma City Council to Hear Mobility Master Plan Tonight

The Tacoma City Council is taking public testimony on the Tacoma Mobility Master Plan. They need to hear from transit and bike-ped advocates that this is a great initiative that needs to be fully funded and implemented in the next decade. TCC had the pleasure of working with City of Tacoma by serving on the steering committee for the project and it really is a visionary bike-ped plan.

Here is more info from our friends at the Cascade Bicycle Club.

First, Happy Bike Month! Last Friday's Bike To Work Day was a positive day all around our region.

Do you want to channel that energy into making bicycling part of the future of transportation in Tacoma?

Come to a public hearing to include the Mobility Master Plan in the city's comprehensive plan tomorrow evening, May 25, at 5:30pm to make your voice heard. It's a great plan - but we need to tell the city council to fund it - and build it faster!

You can read more about the plan at this website.

The hearing will be held at City Council Chambers on the first floor of the Municipal Building, 747 Market Street.

Thanks for your advocacy! Together we can create a better community through bicycling.

A Breakdown of the 2010 transportation appropriations bill earmarks

Scott over at the SeattlePI.com has picked up the transportation earmark bill that is currently moving forward at the federal level.

A full list of the appropriations is linked on the WSDOT Blog here .

Reading through the list I'll pull out a few projects that are great, not so great, and others that raise some questions.

The good news:
Patty Murray and the rest of our delegation delivered on federal commitment to transit and multi-modal access in the Puget Sound Region.

- $9.3 for Metro's RapidRide between Belleuve and Redmond
- $110 for University Link expansion
- $1.8 Million for new C-Tran buses
- $1.7 Million for new Intercity Transit buses
- $2.4 Million for Link Transit buses
- $1.2 Million for Pierce Transit diesel hybrid buses
- $1.2 Million for Spokane Transit hybrid buses
- $600,000 for hybrid buses for the West Seattle RapidRide
- $974,00 for Whatcom Transportation buses
- $1.7 Million for alternatives analysis for High Capacity Transit in the Columbia River Crossing Corridor.
- $1.4 Puyallup BRT Alternatives Analysis
- $360,000 for SE King County Commuter Rail Study; more on seattle transit blog
- $730,00 for Whatcom Smart Trips, their Commute Trip Reduction program
- $800,000 for pedestrian oriented streetscape improvements in Downtown Tacoma
- $1.9 Million for Fishlake trail in Spokane, I have never been there but is sounds good.

Not as exciting projects:
- US 395 North Spokane Corridor-this new freeway has long been a priority of Eastern Washington Legislatures so no surprise here but still it is a huge general purpose lane expansion project.
- US 12 Phase 7 Burbank to Walla Walla is widening a state highway from 2 general purpose lanes to 4, which is always fun.

Needs more investigation:
-There is $974,000 dollars for a "Tacoma Intermodal Transit Center", which sounds good in theory, but I think that may be code speak for money for more city owned large parking garages on the edge of the downtown.

Tacoma Passes final Complete Streets Guidelines: Gets Props from National Complete Streets Coalition

On Tuesday night the outgoing Tacoma City Council passed finalized guidelines for complete streets in the city. A few years ago they passed a resolution supporting complete streets but this vote was a bold step forward in implementing complete streets throughout Tacoma.

Here is the blurb in the e-mail I got from the national complete streets coalition:

Tacoma, WA: Final drafts of the city's Complete Streets Design Guidelines went before the City Council Study Session on November 10. The Design Guidelines are a comprehensive, citywide approach that will safely accommodate all users and contain cost-effective tools and implementation steps. The City Council adopted a resolution endorsing the Guidelines on November 17.

Congratulations to our friends at the City of Tacoma for this bold step forward and the national recognition.

I leave you with the coalitions quote from LaHood for some inspiration:

"We need safer roadways. We need roadways designed to account for the needs of everyone who uses them, whether driving, walking, or riding in a wheelchair or on a bicycle..... The great thing about this Complete Streets approach to road planning is that it's actually cheaper to plan for multiple road uses ahead of time than to retrofit roadways after they are built and someone gets injured or killed."
- Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, commenting on his meeting with Transportation for America, National Complete Streets Coalition, AARP, America Bikes, the American Public Health Association, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, and Smart Growth America

Cascade Bike Club and Tacoma Wheelman host a Tacoma Bike In Tomorrow!

What can you do to improve bicycling in Tacoma, Pierce County and throughout Washington? Join Cascade Bicycle Club, the Tacoma Wheelmen and Tacoma stakeholders this Saturday, Oct. 17 for a workshop on bike advocacy and a bike ride, with drinks to follow.
Schedule:
10am - 1pm: Workshop and lunch at the Tacoma Downtown Library, 1102 Tacoma Avenue South

1pm - 3pm: Bike tour of Tacoma with bicycle planners and special guests, including City Councilmember Lauren Walker

3pm - eve.: Meet at the Harmon HUB for drinks with Councilmember Jake Fey

Email Chris.Rule@cascadebicycleclub.org to RSVP!

We'd like to make sure there are enough snacks and coffee for everyone. It's a busy weekend, so feel free to stop in for only part of the day! Please let us know if you will be joining us for the workshop, ride, and/or at the HUB.

We'll discuss how we can use our clout to demand better facilities and just laws for bicyclists.

Also, the outcome of the bicycle and pedestrian count, and how the data we collect on bicycling is crucial to our safety as bicyclists.
Together, we'll strategize on making a difference in Tacoma and working together for better state laws and funding sources for lanes and trails.

Coverage of Tacoma Candidate Forum

Thank you to all of our co-hosts who helped make the Tacoma Land Use and Candidate forum a success last week. We had over 100 of people there and the discussion was very insightful.

Lewis at the TNT put up a comprehensive blog post covering the debate.

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/2009/10/02/city-candidates-talk-transpo/

I've also posted a few pictures from the forum on our facebook page.

A big shout of thanks to the Cascade Bike Club which sponsored the production of the video, which will online and on Click TV in a few days. I'll post that link here once its up.

Thanks again to everyone who came and co-hosted!

Reminder: CANDIDATES FORUM: What's Their Vision for Transportation and Land Use in Tacoma?

It's election season in Tacoma. At stake this year is the Mayoral election and four City Council Candidate races. The Puget Sound Regional Council predicts that the City of Tacoma is expected to grow by 127,000 people in the next 30 years. Earlier this year the City proactively planned for this growth by passing the Mixed-Use Centers update, fulfilling this vision of creating vibrant mixed use centers is an exciting opportunity with many challenges.

So what do the candidates think about transportation? Parking policy? Managing the city's growth and keeping neighborhoods vibrant? Integrating economic development with climate change goals and land use planning? Find out the answers to these questions and more at the very first candidates forum on transportation and land use.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct 1st, 6:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Carwein Auditorium, UWT

The forum is open to the public and transportation related questions for the candidates can be submitted prior to the event to juliap@tacomachamber.org. For general event questions or media inquires contact Andrew Austin at Andrew@transportationchoices.org.

This event is brought to you by:
Transportation Choices Coalition, The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, University of Washington Urban Studies Program, Futurewise, Cascade Bicycle Club, Tacoma Wheelman's Bicycle Club, Tacoma Sun, Cascade Land Conservancy, and Exit 133

Tacoma Bike-In, October 17: Save the date!

Cascade Bike Club and the Tacoma Wheelmen are doing a good looking event in Tacoma on the 17th (a Saturday). It will include a workshop on cycling advocacy, a bike tour of Tacoma, and of course bike oriented drinks. See the details below and at the linked websites.

Tacoma Bike-In, October 17: Save the date!

What can you do to improve bicycling in Tacoma and throughout Washington? Join Cascade Bicycle Club and the Tacoma Wheelmen on Sat., Oct. 17 for a workshop on bike advocacy.

We'll discuss how we can use our clout to demand better facilities and just laws for bicyclists. Also, the outcome of the bicycle and pedestrian count, and how the data we collect on bicycling is crucial to our safety as bicyclists.

Together, we'll strategize on making a difference in Tacoma and working together for better state laws and federal funding of trails and other facilities.

Schedule:

10am - 1pm: Workshop at the Tacoma Downtown Library, 1102 Tacoma Avenue South

1pm - 3pm: Bike tour of Tacoma with bicycle planners and special guests (stay tuned for details!)

3pm - eve.: Meet at the Harmon HUB for drinks

Click here to RSVP!

October 1st Tacoma Mayoral/City Council Transportation and Land-Use Forum

Please save the date an join us for this exciting event!

Tacoma Mayoral/City Council Transportation and Land-Use Forum

The Puget Sound Regional Council predicts that the City of Tacoma is expected to grow by 127,000 people in the next 30 years. Earlier this year the City proactively planned for this growth by passing the Mixed-Use Centers update, fulfilling this vision of creating vibrant mixed use centers is an exciting opportunity with many challenges.

What will Tacoma’s Transportation system look like in 20 years? Will our streetscape be dotted with streetcars, bike lanes, and working sidewalking next to walkable mixed-use communities? How will we manage our growth in a way that creates vibrant neighborhoods and urban centers? What transportation infrastructure and policies will be needed to keep our city moving and encourage smart development? What is the role of parking policy in the discussion? How will we pay for the transportation and land-use challenges that lie ahead? How will the city integrate its economic development and climate change goals with its land-use and transportation plan?

On Thursday, October 1st, Please Join Transportation Choices Coalition, The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber and an exciting group of co-hosting organizations for an evening lively debate as we pose these questions of this nature to the Tacoma City Council and Mayoral Candidates.

The forum is open to the public, and transportation related questions for the candidates can be submitted prior to the event to juliap@tacomachamber.org. For general event questions or media inquires contact Andrew Austin at Andrew@transportationchoices.org.

EVENT INFORMATION
When: Thursday, Oct 1st, 6:30-8:30pm
Where: Carwein Auditorium, UWT

Event Co-Hosts: Transportation Choices Coalition, The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, University of Washington Urban Studies Program, Futurewise, Cascade Bicycle Club, Tacoma Wheelman’s Bicycle Club, Tacoma Sun, Cascade Land Conservancy, Exit 133,

ST Ridership Snapshot

Sound Transit released a snapshot of some ridership numbers in their CEO report today:

Ridership report

Through the first six months of 2009, total boardings on our Sound Transit trains and buses was up 4.3 percent over the same period a year earlier. Looking just at June, total boardings were up 1.7 percent compared with June 2008. However, our average weekday boardings were down slightly in June. The increase in total boardings is largely attributable to one additional weekday in June 2009.

Looking more closely, the June numbers show that the average weekday boardings on ST Express buses were down very slightly. Tacoma Link continued to be a bright spot with average weekday boardings up by 9.5 percent while Sounder commuter rail ridership was down 11.6 percent in June, compared to a year earlier. Sounder ridership is particularly sensitive to changes in gasoline prices. Last summer gas prices were nearly $4.50 a gallon, while this summer prices are closer to about $2.70 a gallon.

Also, just to let you know, early ridership on Central Link is going very well. We’re averaging about 12,000 riders a day and estimate that ridership will increase to about 21,000 a day by the end of this year. By the end of 2010, we expect Central Link ridership to be around 26,000 to 27,000 a day.

It is good to see that total boardings continue to grow over last year. I think their analysis on the price of gas about a slight drop in Sounder ridership makes sense, not to mention the economic downturn. I wonder why the Tacoma Link's ridership continues to grow even during the recession and the decline in the price of gas. Perhaps it is due to less available or more expensive parking in Tacoma's Downtown? Other ideas?

Happy Friday Everyone.

Tacoma News Tribune: "BIke Lanes are a Key Element in Complete Streets"

The Tacoma News Tribune printed a great editorial today about complete street, bike lanes, and traffic calming in North Tacoma.

It is a worthwhile read and it is encouraging to see the TNT get it right again on transportation issues.

The messaging around quality of life, public health, and climate change is right on:

For instance, within the next several weeks, bike lanes will be added to South 12th Street between Sprague and Union avenues. To accommodate the change, the eastbound two lanes will go down to one lane.

Critics of such changes often ask why capacity should be taken from motorized users and given to bike lanes when there aren’t that many bicyclists. One reason is that cyclists may be avoiding a particular street because it’s so dangerous. Build bike lanes and more people likely will be willing to venture out and use them, perhaps even switching from cars to bikes for at least some of their transportation needs.

From a quality-of-life perspective, making that choice available is important. Fewer cars means less pollution. More people riding bikes means healthier residents. Little wonder that the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is a key supporter of the Complete Streets concept.

Tacoma City Council Leads the Way to Create Vibrant Communities

Tuesday night the Tacoma City Council passed their mixed-use centers update. This is great news for Tacoma and a good regional model of how to plan for growth is a way that is compact and connected. TCC, Futurewise, and Cascade Land Conservancy worked hard on this package. Here is the press release I just sent out. Thank you everyone who got involved with this effort.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2009
Contact:
Ryan Mello, Cascade Land Conservancy, (253) 861-8356;
Andrew Austin, Transportation Choices Coalition, (253) 732-9434

Tacoma City Council Leads the Way to Create Vibrant Communities

Cascade Land Conservancy, Futurewise, and Transportation Choices Coalition applaud their visionary decision

Tacoma, WA- After two years of hard work and hours of debate, Tuesday night the Tacoma City Council unanimously approved an updated Mixed-Use Centers (MUC) Plan. The plan will encourage livable, walkable development within Tacoma’s neighborhood Centers by creating incentives for investment, improving design and encouraging well-planned growth. For a complete list of the mixed use-centers affected please see http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=4614.

Passing the plan was a 2009 priority for the Pierce County Sustainability Coalition, a group of organizations that support innovative policies that enhance quality of life throughout the region. Tacoma’s MUC updates presented an opportunity to ensure sustainable growth in the region.

The plan does just that. It protects neighborhood character and curbs urban sprawl by focusing growth within the Centers; it encourages private economic development; it provides incentives to developers to use energy efficient building materials; and it protects local farm and forest lands through a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) option.

“Passing the Tacoma Mixed-Use Centers plan is an enormous win for sustainability in Pierce County,” stated Ryan Mello, Chair of the Pierce County Sustainability Coalition and Pierce County Conservation Director at Cascade Land Conservancy, “the Tacoma City Council has demonstrated leadership by taking an important step forward to concentrate growth within the City and protect our working forests and farmlands.”

“The City of Tacoma is expected to grow by 127,000 people in the next 30 years,” Stated Sara Nikolic, Urban Strategies Director of Futurewise, “The City Council has decided to focus that growth in vibrant walkable communities while protecting single family neighborhoods.”

“People want to have the choice of walking to the grocery store, biking to school, or taking a bus to work,” said Andrew Austin, Policy Associate at Transportation Choices Coalition, “Yesterday’s action by the City Council means land use policies will support that choice and create healthier more livable communities.”

Tacoma Mixed-Use Centers Final Package is tonight at 5pm

Tonight at 5pm the Tacoma City Council will discuss and hopefully pass the final Mixed-Use Centers update package. This will allow many of the mixed-use centers in Tacoma to absorb more growth create transit and people oriented communities while protecting single family neighborhoods.

Amendments 2,3, and 4 to the package are supported by TCC and the Pierce County sustainability coalition. For a full list of the amendments are here. Amendment number 4 is of particular importance.

The final meeting is tonight at 5:00pm at the Tacoma City Chamber, I hope to see you there.

Vibrant mixed-use centers key to growing smart in Tacoma

Transportation Choices Coalition and Futurewise Co-wrote an Op-Ed on Tacoma's Mixed Use Centers update that was printed in the News Tribune Today. It was printed straight across from the TNT's positive editorial on light rail opening from Seattle to Tukwilla.

The second reading and discussion on the Tacoma Mixed Use Centers plan will be at tonight's city council meeting at Tacoma City Hall at 5:00pm. The final reading and proposed passage of the package will be next week (the 21st) at 5:00pm at Tacoma City Hall. Stay tuned!

Here is today's editorial:

Vibrant mixed-use centers key to growing smart in the city

The Puget Sound Regional Council predicts that 1.7 million additional people will move into Pierce, Kitsap, King and Snohomish counties in the next 30 years. They expect Tacoma to grow by 32 percent – 127,000 people – by the year 2040, an increase larger than the current population of Bellevue.

Regional growth provides tremendous opportunities, but also real challenges. Are we going to grow in a way that concentrates new jobs and residents in urban centers, or are we going to pave our way to Mount Rainier? Will future growth spur economic development and revitalize our historic business districts or build new communities without sufficient infrastructure?

Will future residents of Pierce County have the choice to catch a streetcar to work or walk to the grocery store? Or will working families continue to live in auto-oriented communities and have to choose between putting food on the table or filling up the gas tank?

These are the tough questions we must ask as we envision what we want our region and communities to look like during our lifetimes and for future generations.

Elected officials and community leaders asked many of these questions as they developed the growth plan in “Vision 2040” at the Puget Sound Regional Council. They found that growth and quality of life can co-exist if we are smart about where we direct new homes and jobs.

Protecting our natural lands makes concentrating growth in cities a must. While growth within cities provides immense economic development opportunities, it will also create pressure on cities’ aging infrastructure. If the City of Tacoma grows by 127,000 people, we will need to fix sidewalks, paint crosswalks and bike lanes, and fill potholes. Sewer and utility systems will need upgrades, open space and parks will need improvements, and there will be more traffic and demand for more transit service.

Economic opportunities for cities absorbing new growth are immense. Such cities as Tacoma, Lakewood and Puyallup can attract new jobs; promote prospering business districts; and create vibrant, walkable communities as the region grows.

But capitalizing on this opportunity will not be easy. Cities must engage neighborhoods early so that new growth plans can respond to the needs of current as well as future residents.

The Tacoma City Council has a unique opportunity to do just that: plan for growth in a way that involves neighborhood input to create compact mixed-use neighborhoods well-connected by sidewalks, bike lanes, high-frequency bus service and streetcars. This month, the council will hear testimony and vote on the mixed-use centers plan as proposed by the Tacoma Planning Commission.

The proposed plan will change transportation requirements, raise height limits, and focus infrastructure resources in areas of the city such as 56th and South Tacoma Way, lower Portland Avenue, Martin Luther King Way and the Stadium District.

The current plan is an important step toward creating vibrant, livable neighborhoods, but the city should be bolder. The council should amend the proposal to:

• Remove parking minimums, and let the market decide how much parking is needed, not mandate excessive parking lots.

• Attract local businesses and provide housing for families – while protecting single-family neighborhoods – by allowing the height bonus to apply to the entire mixed-use zones surrounding core pedestrian streets.

• Make walking and cycling more convenient by implementing complete streets standards and shorter maximum block lengths for new streets.

Over the next 30 years, Tacoma and our region will grow. The question is whether we plan for growth and invest in infrastructure in a way that builds vibrant, connected, and livable communities. Tacoma has the opportunity to continue to lead the region in meeting its sustainability and economic development goals.

The City Council should step up to the plate, reaffirm its leadership and pass a strong mixed-use center update.

Andrew Austin of Tacoma is the policy associate for Transportation Choices Coalition, a statewide organization working to bring Washington residents more opportunities to ride a bus, catch a train, bike or walk. Sara Nikolic is co-director of Futurewise, a statewide nonprofit smart-growth advocacy organization.

Update: The Tacoma BIA blog covered the Mixed-Use Centers update today here.