The city of Tacoma is pitching itself as an alternative to Seattle and Portland. More investors are starting to look at Tacoma as a place for development.
"I see vision, I see change, I see future, I see vibrancy," said Cathy Reines with Koz Development.
She runs a student housing development company in Snohomish.
The company has properties in Washington and Oregon, and now it's eyeing the city of destiny.
"Our initial experience is that Tacoma would perform very similarly to Seattle or Portland from an investment perspective," she said.
On Wednesday, she and a room full of developers heard from business and city leaders about Tacoma's growth at an economic development forum.
"I think what I'm most impressed by is the amount of housing that's being built and I think that's exciting because we're expanding Lightrail to different neighborhoods," said Tacoma's Mayor Marilyn Strickland.
The Tacoma Link has spurred development in Downtown and, as it plans to expand into other neighborhoods, new businesses are popping up. Developers see transportation as key.
"Any place that the Link is running, we would look for a site near the Link station," said Reines.
