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closeMany options for local parking woes
Dave Eatwell / for the Puyallup Main Street Association
The quality most appreciated in government leaders at all levels is vision, the ability to articulate what a better community will look like and the courage to make it reality. Recent discussions of an expanded scope of possible remedies for downtown Puyallup’s parking woes are exciting and an expected outgrowth of the vision that has given Puyallup the new library, city hall and an expanded hospital facility.
Sound Transit’s plan to build a 600-space parking garage next to Puyallup’s rail station has always had two sides. On the one hand, the rail station has the potential to super-charge downtown Puyallup’s economic engine. On the other hand, it would be full the day it goes into service and on day two, parking woes would return, but with more congestion, pollution and frustration for downtown merchants and transit riders, alike. That poses the question: How else could $50 million be used to bring transit riders to the Puyallup station but without making other problems worse?
Moving the rail station to a grass field between Puyallup and Sumner would draw a major flow of human traffic away from downtown, repeating a trend that started in the late 1950s when freeways bypassed small towns. Merchants and businesses in Small Town, USA have struggled ever since, as the need for parking spread the flow of commerce to the outskirts of traditional communities. That is not a good option. That approach was used when the Olympia/Lacey rail station was cited in a cornfield out on Yelm Highway, 10 miles out of town. Did people feel safe waiting for the train on a cold, dark morning or getting off the train on a dark night? On completion, the decision to build there was immediately seen to be a mistake.
Commuter rail systems, planned and executed to create a vital community (not just to feed human cargo to a metropolitan center), can again make small town centers and traditional business districts vital and attractive. It is not rocket science and we do not have to look far to see a system that has set the standard for ridership and transit oriented community development in the United States.
The success of Portland’s MAX Light Rail system relies on a comprehensive feeder system of buses and streetcars. Park and ride lots are built on the perimeter of the community, not in developed residential or commercial areas. Often such lots are sited at facilities that already had expansive paved parking areas, such as Portland International Raceway and the Expo Center.
The Portland Streetcar loop (4.8 miles of rail) was built, starting in 1997 at a cost of $57 million, connecting Portland State University, Portland Central Business District and the Northwest 23rd medical services district. It was the first streetcar line built in the United States since before World War II. Was it full the first day? No. But it soon did reach capacity. Did they spend another $57 million to increase its capacity? No, they spent $2 million on another streetcar. It is more spacious and comfortable than shuttle buses, moving people quickly and smoothly. It handles Portland hills up to 9 percent gradient easily. People who would never ride a bus will gladly ride a rail system.
More importantly, since this 2.4 mile route was laid out, the surrounding community has been rejuvenated:
A $3.5 billion has been invested within two blocks of the streetcar alignment.
A 10,212 new housing units and 5.4 million square feet of office, institutional, retail and hotel construction have been constructed within two blocks of the alignment.
A 55 percent of all development in downtown Portland since 1997 has occurred within one block of the streetcar and properties located closest to the streetcar line.
A New residential buildings with significantly lower parking ratios are being built.
So, we must wonder what the possibilities for Puyallup might be if Sound transit’s $50 million were added to the LIFT grant pot without earmarks. Those funds, with state and federal support, could result in a streetcar line that would tie the downtown Puyallup, The Fair, Good Samaritan, Pierce College, the Benaroya development and South Hill Mall into one community. It is impossible to estimate how much private investment it would spark. And it would set Puyallup apart from every other town on the Sounder line and serve the community for decades.
Are a 600-space garage and a streetcar line Puyallup’s only options? Not at all. The scope of possibilities is broad and deep. But Puyallup’s community must consider who and what it wants to be in 20 or 30 or more years, then share that vision with our municipal leadership.
In recent meetings and press releases, Sound Transit has voiced an openness to participate in public process and a wish for input from all elements of the community. Let’s take them up on their offer and see what possibilities arise.