The City Council unanimously approved a resolution recently, directing the City Manager to prioritize cross-departmental, collaborative solutions using existing resources to enhance community safety and vibrancy on high-investment corridors in the city.
The Council has defined high-investment corridors as areas that generally span a select number of contiguous blocks in Mixed-Use Centers where significant public and private investments have taken place to advance housing, transit, local businesses, beautification, and more. Examples of high-investment corridors include Martin Luther King Jr. Way, from 9th Street to Earnest Brazil Street; 6th Avenue from South Mildred Street to South Jackson Avenue; South 38th Street from South G Street to Yakima Avenue; and North Proctor Street from North 27th Street to North 24th Street.
“It was important to me to bring forward this resolution because we want to build neighborhood centers that are thriving and fully utilized by the community,” said District 3 Council Member Jamika Scott. “For example, our Martin Luther King Jr. Way corridor—which runs from 9th Street to Earnest Brazil Street—should be seeing a robust increase in community use. This corridor has benefited from new apartment buildings, new transit access, new businesses, new art installations, and new infrastructure. Unfortunately, despite all these investments, this corridor has issues that make many in our community feel unsafe, limiting the number of people who are coming to live, work, and play on this corridor. This includes graffiti, litter, overgrown landscaping, boarded up buildings, and underutilized or vacant spaces. We can fix these issues, and we don’t need millions of dollars to do so. We need to prioritize these corridors as drivers of economic growth and focus on bringing our existing resources to bear to help ensure everyone in our community feels safe and welcome, enjoying all they have to offer.”
The City of Tacoma has adopted a Community Safety Action Strategy that defines safety as more than just the absence of crime. This strategy is based on community input about what makes people feel unsafe, which includes environmental conditions, such as the presence of litter, trash, and graffiti or whether there is sufficient street lighting, well-maintained landscaping, and gathering spaces that appear welcoming. The City’s broad understanding of community safety recognizes that the toolbox for enhancing community safety extends far beyond policing and includes a wide variety of current services and resources from across multiple City Departments.
“I’m looking forward to more creative ways to support businesses and growth throughout the city’s high investment corridors,” said At-Large Council Member Olgy Diaz. “As the Economic Development Committee chair for our Council, I hear from businesses regularly about the need for more small business resources and am often able to help connect business owners with existing programs they didn’t know about. This resolution will help us continue to be more coordinated and targeted in our outreach about City resources and help bring the biggest impact for our commercial districts.”
“The City has made significant investments in corridors like Martin Luther King Jr. Way, 6th Avenue, and South Tacoma because we heard directly from residents that they wanted neighborhoods where people feel safe, connected, and proud to spend time,” said Deputy Mayor and District 5 Council Member Joe Bushnell. “Even as we adapt our formal neighborhood planning efforts to current budget realities, our commitment to these communities cannot fade. This resolution helps ensure we continue supporting the places where people gather with family, walk their dogs, support local businesses, and build community. While the resolution highlights several key corridors, it also reinforces our broader commitment to community spaces across all of Tacoma.”
“Tacoma is at its best when we invest in the unique neighborhoods that give our city its character,” said District 1 Council Member John Hines. “Corridors like 6th Avenue between Mildred and Jackson already have strong community anchors, from the library and fire station to War Memorial Park and long-standing local businesses. This resolution is about building on those strengths and making sure neighborhood centers across our city thrive and help us support local businesses.”