The city of Tacoma has visions of turning what is now a parking lot near the Tacoma Dome into an entertainment district of sorts.
Tuesday is the deadline for developers to submit their proposal to the city on how they would turn that piece of land into an area where people would want to show up early and stay late.
What the city envisions is similar to Kansas City, Missouri's entertainment district, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Kansas City’s district features bars, restaurants, and places for people to relax and enjoy the environment before or after a night out at the nearby arenas.
KING 5 reached out to the city of Tacoma, but have not heard back yet as of this posting. On their Request For Proposals (RFP) though, the city did make it clear they were not about just about being the highest bidder. The city is using a points scale to determine which proposal is most appealing.
The city is asking for a minimum purchase price of $8 million, as well as an 800,000 deposit that is refundable if the group is not selected.
The city also wants to know what the developer’s visions are for the project. They asked for specific details and ideas on how they would turn a lot into a destination location for guests. The better detailed the proposal, the more “points” it can gain.
Another issue will be parking. This project would eliminate nearly 600 parking spaces from the Dome, and the city wants all proposals to include creative ways to fix that problem without people having to walk very far to reach the Dome. The proposer’s willingness to work on and find a solution carries more weight than other requirements, according to the City’s RFP.
Finally, the City of Tacoma wants the developer to take advantage of the prime location the lot has next to I-5. In 2016, WSDOT reported that 228,000 cars passed by the Tacoma Dome each day.
The city has tentatively scheduled to pick a proposal by the end of May. The Tacoma Dome itself is scheduled to undergo a major renovation and will close from Mid-June until at least October. No word on if the city wants this project done, or at least started, by the time that renovation is complete.
