McKinley Hill Neighborhood Plan
The City’s award winning Neighborhood Planning Program (NPP) provided enhanced planning and development support to help communities create strong, vibrant, and diverse neighborhoods.
Purpose
The City of Tacoma Neighborhood Planning Program, McKinley neighborhood, businesses, and local organizations worked together to create the plan, which was adopted by City Council in March 2023.
Process
City Council selected McKinley as one of the pilot neighborhoods for the Neighborhood Planning Program. The Plan was developed through a process of co-creation with neighbors throughout 2022, and is informed by responses from surveys, community groups, and public meetings and events. The City is continuing to work with partners and neighbors to support implementation.
What's happening now?
There are several projects in the Plan that have already been completed and/or are in progress, thanks to the help of our partners and committees.
Completed projects:
- Installation of new mural at Parky’s, in partnership with Spaceworks
- Tree-planting of over 200 trees, in partnership with Tacoma Tree Foundation
- Intersection mural and intersection enhancement at E Division Ln and McKinley Ave (almost complete)
- Red curb painting and stormwater stenciling in the business district
- Water bottle filling station
- Improvements to the McKinley Overlook (along E 32nd St between E E St and E F St)
Ongoing projects:
- Parking management strategy, crosswalk restriping, and new trash service
- Placemaking through temporary and permanent artworks, neighborhood “gateway” open spaces at the north and south ends of the business district, and streetscape upgrade
Community Engagement
Intentional and equitable community engagement was the core driving force behind the creation of the Plan. Staff proactively reached out and engaged with community members to co-create the community engagement process and the Plan. Building lasting relationships and connections to resources also helped build community capacity. We are grateful to the community for their enthusiastic participation.
1. Vibrant business district
Support a vibrant economic base; comfortable, family-friendly environment; and unique McKinley identity. Key recommendations include streetscape redesign, art, signage, placemaking elements, new public spaces, business assistance, and parking management.
2. Walkability and connections to key destinations
Improve walkability and placemaking within the business district, and enhance connections to transit, schools, parks, and major walking/ bicycling/rolling routes to adjacent neighborhoods and the Dome District transit connections. Other actions include wayfinding signage, street tree planting, and traffic calming.
3. Activated and safe open spaces
Enhance key neighborhood open spaces to support community gathering and safety, such as McKinley Overlook, as well as business district gateways.
4. Enhance McKinley's center with new amenities
As the neighborhood grows, support options for housing, food/ grocery, services, and amenities. Pursue community interests with major redevelopments (e.g., Gault School site).
Major Plan Recommendations
You Voted, We're Building It! Intersection safety enhancement at East Division Ln and McKinley Ave
In 2022, 200 neighbors voted to select your top “Community Booster Project”—a street mural and intersection safety enhancement E Division Ln and McKinley Ave!
What’s happening now?
Thanks to the work of the McKinley Arts Committee, artist Jorge Mota, and many City of Tacoma departments (Public Works, Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality), the project is almost complete.
How does this temporary enhancement make this intersection safer?
Narrowing travel lanes has been shown to decrease speeds and increase safety for people walking and rolling. This “quick-build” project supports the City’s Vision Zero goals to end traffic fatalities by 2035, and this location was identified based on crash data and community input as the best place to slow traffic as people enter the south end of the McKinley business district. This project was designed by Public Works engineers to add temporary “bulb-outs,” and we will collect speed data before and after the completion of the intersection improvement to assess how well it’s working.
