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Developer proposes transit center in Elks Lodge

By John Larson

Tacoma Weekly
jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: June 12, 2008

A developer’s proposal to purchase and renovate the old Elks Lodge downtown has caught the attention of Pierce Transit leaders.

An unnamed party wants to purchase the aging structure from its current owner, Portland-based developer Williams & Dame. It purchased the building and an adjacent vacant lot last year. It put the properties back on the market earlier this year after determining its plans would not pencil.

Tacoma City Councilmember Mike Lonergan, who serves on the Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners, said conversations started recently between the developer and another member of the board, Pierce County Councilmember Tim Farrell.

The developer is interested in buying the building and leasing the lower floor to Pierce Transit for use as a bus terminal. This would replace the current hub for Pierce Transit along Commerce Street between South 9th and 11th streets. Lonergan said the current facility has several drawbacks. Busses turn around in a structure that sits below the outdoor plaza that hosts Tacoma Farmers Market and other public events. Lonergan said water features leak water into the structure below. It is a “dead zone” for the radio communication system used by bus drivers and dispatcher. Because there is little shelter from rain for passengers on the west side of Commerce, some of them duck into the turnaround area, which Lonergan called a safety issue. “We admit there are problems in the current area,” he remarked.

The developer is interested in leasing upper floors for a restaurant and offices. The lower area would be a waiting area for bus passengers. An enclosed transit turnaround would be connected by a tunnel running under the Spanish Steps.

Architect Jim Dugan is representing the developer. Part of his role, according to Lonergan, is to determine if redesign plans would conflict with the building’s listing on the city, state and federal historic registers.

Lonergan said he and two other board members – Mayor Bill Baarsma and Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg – felt the proposal sounded unrealistic at first. “The more we hear, it is worth finding out more,” Lonergan said.

Board members authorized a letter of interest to be sent to the developer. Lonergan stressed this is not the same as a letter of intent.

Leaving its current site creates many possibilities, according to Lonergan. One is the potential for a Tacoma Link light rail stop at South 11th and Commerce streets.

Lonergan said Pierce Transit CEO Lynne Griffith may prefer to shift Pierce Transit’s hub closer to Tacoma Dome Station, where it already has a smaller transit center.

Leaving the current hub on Commerce “is not even in our six-year plan,” Lonergan remarked.

Being part of any effort for a viable reuse of the Elks building must be balanced against the needs of a transit system that serves the entire county, Lonergan pointed out. It has about 200 requests for additional routes across Pierce County, he added.

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