Tacoma City Council Study Session - April 1, 2025
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Tacoma City Council Study Session - April 1, 2025
On April 1, 2025, the Tacoma City Council held a study session at 12:00 PM in the Council Chambers at 747 Market Street. The meeting covered briefing items including updates on the Cushman Substation, the LeMay Proposed Agreement for a robotics center, the McKinley annexation, the 2025 Consolidated Plan, a Sound Transit letter, and the interim city manager recruitment process.
Consent Calendar
- Proclamation of April 2025 as Fair Housing Month was approved without discussion.
Cushman Substation Update
- Dr. John Gaines (TPU), Lauren Hoogkamer (PDS), and Mandi Roberts (Otak) presented four future-use scenarios for the historic Cushman and Adams substations (built 1920s, landmarked 2017) on 1.25 acres in the North End. TPU will vacate Cushman in 2027.
- Citywide engagement (summer/fall 2024) favored open space, public building uses, and some housing. Survey respondents were mostly North End homeowners.
- Scenarios: A (all public), B (public buildings + UR3 housing), C (public + UR2 + mixed-use), D (public/lease/commercial + mixed-use). All include open space.
- Council members asked about timeline (resolution in June), tribal right of first refusal, affordable housing alignment, and maintenance costs. Many supported open space and mixed-use. Councilmember Hines stressed feasibility and cost transparency.
- Next steps: Public Utilities Board briefing April 9, joint session May 20, council resolution June.
LeMay Proposed Agreement
- Adam Cook (TVE), David Madeira (America's Automotive Trust), and Josh Garcia (Tacoma Public Schools) proposed amending the 2002 option agreement to reduce the notice period from two years to 120 days for the future phase (Lot C) to allow Tacoma Public Schools to build the "Grit City Innovation Garage," a robotics and eSports center.
- The school district would fund construction (~18 months) with no city capital investment. The city would lose ~$125,000/year in parking revenue temporarily, but TVE can absorb it.
- Council members expressed strong support, praising innovation and partnerships. Councilmember Diaz asked about public outreach and safety; Councilmember Walker asked about timeline. The resolution will be presented April 8.
- Mayor Woodards highlighted the project's potential to activate the Dome District.
McKinley Proposed Annexation
- Wesley Rhodes (Senior Planner) presented an application to annex three parcels (approx. 7 acres) along McKinley Avenue East into the city. The property owners seek residential development and city utilities.
- Previous 2018 application was rejected due to irregular boundary; the application now includes adjacent parcels to north and south to create a more regular shape.
- If accepted, the process would take 24+ months. Council can accept, reject, or modify on April 15 public meeting.
- Councilmember Bushnell supported the regularized boundary; Councilmember Rumbaugh asked about costs (no major red flags); Councilmember Hines asked about engagement with additional property owners.
2025 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development
- Felicia Medlen (Housing Division Manager) presented the five-year plan (FY2025–2029) for federal HUD grants: CDBG ($2.3M), ESG ($210K), HOME ($1M). Three goals: prevent homelessness, increase affordable housing, and support microenterprises.
- The comment period runs April 1–May 1; public hearing April 22; final action May 6.
- Mayor Woodards asked about federal funding risk; Medlen noted the continuing resolution ensures funding for this year. Councilmember Sidalgay had no further questions.
Draft Letter to Sound Transit Board Directors
- Councilmember Walker presented a draft letter recommending the "close to Sounder" option for the Tacoma Dome Station and the non-spanning option for Portland Avenue Station on the Tacoma Dome Link Extension. Letter emphasizes partnerships, business support, and design.
- Deputy Mayor Daniels felt the timeline was rushed; Councilmember Diaz raised concerns about displacing Freight House Square businesses and suggested a separate letter. Councilmember Walker agreed to postpone and work with members.
- Tour scheduled April 29.
Interim City Manager Recruitment
- Mayor Woodards outlined the process: a single candidate so far; council can recommend additional candidates by April 11. Two-on-one interviews April 8–21, full council interview in executive session April 22, candidate presentation April 29, offer May 13, start June 1 with 30-day overlap.
- A role and priorities document and interview questions were distributed. Councilmember Scott requested earlier sharing of the job description for sourcing.
Key Outcomes
- Cushman Substation: Staff will refine scenarios; joint PUD board/council meeting May 20; council resolution in June.
- LeMay Agreement: Resolution to amend option agreement will be on April 8 consent agenda.
- McKinley Annexation: Public meeting set for April 15; council will then accept, reject, or modify.
- Consolidated Plan: Public hearing April 22; final action May 6.
- Sound Transit Letter: Delayed for further council discussion; separate letter on business displacement to be considered.
- Interim City Manager: Candidates due by April 11; interviews and selection process as outlined.
- Councilmember Diaz will present a statement supporting federal employee collective bargaining rights at the evening regular meeting.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to call to order the city council study session of April 1st, 2025. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Bushnell. Present. Deputy Mayor Daniels. Here. Councilmember Diaz. Here. Councilmember Hines. Absent. Councilmember Rumba here. Council Member Sidalgay? Here. Council Member Scott. Here. Councilmember Walker. Here. Mayor Woodards. Here. The study session material sent to you at 1112. Great. All right. We have one modification to today's agenda. We will be moving the Lemay proposed agreement presentation to the number two item on today's agenda. So our first agenda item today is the Cushman substation update. And I'd like to call on Tacoma Public Utilities Community Relations Manager, Dr. John Gaines to begin the presentation. Dr. Gaines, good to have you here today. Thank you, Madam Mayor. My name is John. Here with my colleagues, we'll be presenting the Cushman and Adams Substation Future Use Study. Again, my name is John here with Lauren Hookamer from PDS principal planner. And then the wonderful Mandy Roberts from OTEC who has led this process for us. Want to give a quick presentation overview. So we'll touch on the future use study. I'll briefly provide some background and then we'll have a summary of engagement results and then the future use scenarios and ongoing analysis. And then we'll talk through next steps and any questions that you all might have for us. So before we get started, just wanted to provide some background as you can see on the image. So built in the mid-1920s, the Cushman Adams substations were key to bring electricity from the Cushman Dam to Tacoma. In 2017, the Tacoma City Council placed both substations on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places, recognizing their historical value, including the buildings, exteriors, and surrounding sites. We were able to get this project started back up a couple years ago, and during the summer of during the summer and fall of 2024, we conducted a broad inclusive citywide engagement. Maintenance of materials and the Adams Building was surplus in 2019. So we haven't used that building since 2019. Of course, this is mostly for us to talk about the engagement in the scenarios. So if there's any additional questions that don't come up today in regards to the background history of the buildings, I am willing to follow up and have more conversations offline. I'll pass it to my colleagues. Thank you, John. Sure. Thank you, Councilmembers.
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