City of University Place announcement.
On Sunday, Feb. 20, Narrows Plaza Bowl will close its doors for good at 10 p.m. The property, as well as the adjoining Galaxy Theaters property, is under contract and will be redeveloped into new market rate apartment homes called the Narrows Urban Village.
Plans call for 274 units to be built on the two parcels, spread among two four-story buildings and seven three-story buildings. The development will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, a pool and plaza, as well as a community gathering space.
Per City of U.P. requirements, the developer will improve access from 22nd Street W. and 23rd Street W.
Construction is expected to begin sometime next month.
In another bit of news, TRA Medical Imaging will be relocating its offices at 2212 Mildred St. W. in an effort to consolidate its real estate holdings. Chris Coates, the company’s CEO, said the decision was a tough one, but necessitated by market forces. “We have a lot of excess space in downtown Tacoma,” he said, so the company has decided to utilize that square footage.
Although the building on Mildred will go on the market in the near future, Coates said the company is grateful for all the support shown to them by City staff. “U.P. was and is the best municipality we’ve ever worked with. We appreciate everything the City has done for us.”
Ah yes, market rate apartments are replacing the bowling alley and movie theater. Not even a small nod to setting aside at least a few apartments for individuals and families that are income-challenged, particularly at this time – the cost of basic needs, like food and gas, keeps climbing.
Good move UP – let’s keep the cost of living in this community even more daunting for families that simply seek better schools and safer living conditions for themselves and their children.
This does not seem like good news to me. So much has been said in recent months about general over-crowding and too much traffic in this entire area. Building more apartments is not likely to help this situation. We have new apartments currently under construction on Bridgeport Way, just south of 40th. Hundreds more are on their way to completion along 6th Ave and Mildred. Adding 274 more to this general area will not solve any over-crowding or traffic problems. Hundreds of new apartments means you have to add in hundreds more cars on our streets. Hundreds more people will also require more police protection which, as we all know, is dangerously understaffed right now. More fire protection will be needed as well as other services, and it will mean over-crowding in our classrooms.
We have loved living in University Place and watched its growth for over 40 years. However, I think it’s time to consider our current residents and slow down this expansion. This is definitely NOT a good idea for those of us who call this city “home!”