This photograph shows two trees beyond the foreground madrona - a madrona the park removed, and a large tree, I think a hemlock, on private property, that was removed recently. The madrona was marked with a sign, the other tree was removed without notice.

This afternoon the flowering trees beside the construction of the new Safeway store on Proctor stand out in clear relief. They are not fenced for protection, if they are protected it is an informal direction to "Look out for the trees." Yesterday afternoon I attended a Planning Commission Public Hearing. Here I am describing some of the brief comments at the event, about thirty people commented. The Mobility Master Plan was to be important to bike riders and pedestrians. I have used a bike in Tacoma since 1990. At the door I picked up a copy of The 2010 Annual Amendments for the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code (495 pages).

The Pyramid

I was interested in the pyramid on page 121. It seems to me it should always be presented tilted at an angle to prevent extreme status reversals. The pyramid: "The City of Tacoma will use this model as a conceptual tool for elevating pedestrians, bicycles and public transit in the planning and design of streets...it gives recognition to the city's most vulnerable users." Street design will reverse an anti-human approach that one speaker, David Hiller, of Cascade Bicycle Club, described in this way - "As if cars, not people, were the only valued constituents."

Changes to the South Tacoma Neighborhood:

Seven people spoke about these changes. Bruce Peterson, a South Tacoma business owner, also mentioned he was a third generation South Tacoma resident. One or two speakers mentioned plans for the South Park historical district.

Steve's

I think a great South Park historical district could see once again Steve's Gay Nineties, a well-liked restaurant of many years which featured a dining room with booths with buggy wheels and can-can girls during the weekend. They had a nice Sunday buffet. My parents took my sister and myself to the buffet. It had a bean recipe I never found anywhere else but always remembered. In truth, I now have the bean recipe, which was easy to adapt to be vegetarian.

Urban Forest Comments:

I did not favor some of these comments. Citizens expressed some concern that caring about what happened to trees could be too restrictive - Ruth Doyle - expressed concern that trees and builders would find conflict, and D. Hamber - regarding trees, D. Hamber was uneasy that policy quickly becomes regulation. In truth, the Wright Park Tree Project gives the lesson that tree Replacement involves tree removal. Trees come to a time in their life-spans when their years have been lived out. The trees at Wright Park that are to be removed are marked with an explanation for the planned removal, and new trees are planted to sustain the presence of the arboretum.

Thirty percent of Our Trees Lost

However, Jody Atkins expressed deep concern that in recent years in Tacoma we have lost thirty percent of our trees. Scott Hansen wished even more nature included in the mobility master plan, wants the Puget Creek Trail system, a very forested trail, worked into the plan.

Health

In a similar way, Diane Evans - of the Pierce County Health Department, supports the Urban Forests along with the Mobility Master plan, because community gardens with tomato plants or fruit trees can be tools along with walking and bike riding in the struggle against the health concern - obesity.

For Our Trees

Linda Meade - urged that Tacoma plan carefully For our Trees

and Cat Mchahey spoke about how a cluster of oak trees was cut down last month by a developer, and how their neighborhood missed those trees. We do know that trees that are gone are deeply missed.

Tacoma Mobility Master Plan Comments:

Members of the Tacoma Wheelmen's Club, the Cascade Bicycle Club, Transportation Choices Coalition all spoke requesting that the Mobility Master Plan be approved. I believe one speaker pointed out that less attention was applied in the Mobility Master Plan to the needs of disabled citizens than would have been appropriate. They wanted more attention in the Master Plan to the needs of the disabled.

Years back I once repeated the comments of others in a letter urging our elected officials to act - my own experience of that situation felt untrained, and the believable comments seemed good to me. Of course I credited them. In the same way I can forward the comments I heard yesterday afternoon in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building in that way to the Planning Committee. I can leave out the comments I did not favor. Perhaps I can find other points in the large book before March 12th.

Comments will be accepted until March 12th.

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