The June 11 Mixed Use Center meeting is on - Come one, come ALL

The follow-up meeting to dicuss Mixed Use Centers on the Eastside will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on June 11 at the Pool at Stewart Heights on East 56th Street.

We need any and every Eastsider to attend this informative meeting about these potential land use and zoning changes for our area.

Mixed Use Centers are areas of the city that are planned for high density residential development, commercial revitalization and are pedestrian friendly and supported by frequent transit service.

City Planning staff will discuss proposed boundaries and zoning for two new mixed use centers and potential changes to other mixed use centers.

Come learn more about proposed new Mixed Use Centers for:

• McKinley Hill
• South 34th and Pacific

And possible zoning and boundary changes to:

• 72nd and Portland
• 72nd and Pacific Avenue
• Lower Portland Avenue

The Planning Commission and the City Council may consider the proposed changes this year as part of the Annual Amendment to Tacoma’s Comprehensive Plan and Regulatory Code.

For more information, contact Peter Huffman, Community and Economic Development Department, at (253) 591-5373 or check the City’s website at http://www.cityoftacoma.org/planning

YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
The Community and Economic Development Department does not discriminate on the basis of disability in any of its programs or services. Upon request, special accommodations will be provided within five business days. Contact (253)591-5365 (voice) or (253) 591-5153(TTY).

Board meeting update

In our board meeting on May 21, we heard from our Sector Commander, Lt. Kathy McAlpine, who gave us information on, and was soliciting opinions regarding where our new police substation should be. If you'd like to weigh in on this issue, please email Lt. McAlpine at kmcalpin@cityoftacoma.org or call (253) 591-5182.

Tacoma School District Superintendent Charlie Milligan was unable to meet with us this month due to a family concern. Instead, we heard from Miguel Villahermosa of Tacoma Public Schools and Kurt Miller, School Board Member.

Villahermosa updated the board on various existing Eastside programs that work to address issues with Eastside students, including the GREAT program, the Gang Steering Committee, and the Pro-Teen Program. He also let us know that a school that would be built to house both Gault and McIlvaigh middle school students would not start to be constructed until year '09 or '10.

Also of specific interest, Board Member Miller let us know that in the future, the school district will work with the City of Tacoma on the marketing and sales of school property. This may have led to a more successful outcome in solicitating community input regarding the sale of Rogers Elementary since the City has the expertise in involving neighbors and concerned citizens via community meetings and public hearings.

However, bear in mind that your Eastside Neighborhood Council is now committed to staying on top of and keeping you informed about any potential Eastside school sales in the future.

Kathleen Merryman, a columnist from the The News Tribune, was at our meeting, and she wrote the following column: Milligan misses a shot to speak - and listen.

In other business, we learned that the $500 we contributed to a consultant for the Alcohol Impact Area we're working to create won't be needed after all. Our sincere thanks goes to the City of Tacoma for deciding to cover the cost of this consultant.

We'll be discussing and deciding upon the Innovative Grants that so many of you applied for in our June meeting.

Be there or be square! :)

We've changed our name!

At our latest board meeting, we jointly decided to change our name to the Eastside Neighborhood Council, and we've moved away from ENACT.

We want the word Eastside to be on the lips and in the hearts of everyone in Tacoma, and the universe.

Now THAT'S Eastside Tacoma Pride :).

How cool -- The McKinley Street Festival is on mySpace

Those masterminds behind the McKinley Street Festival have created a mySpace Web site for the function.

Bookmark this page, mark your calendars for August 11, and watch your festival grow!

www.myspace.com/topoftacoma

Yah, that's right....we're the Top of Tacoma!