Neighborhood News
- Viridian Grove Opens Near Tacoma Mall With 98 Income-Restricted Apartments
- Tacoma and Pierce County partners recently opened Viridian Grove, a new affordable housing community near Tacoma Mall. The development includes 98 rental units with two to four bedrooms, including 20 units reserved for households with developmental disabilities.
- Intentions Juice Bar Closes on South Tacoma Way
- Intentions Juice Bar has closed its doors on South Tacoma Way. Owner Marquita Evans says two buyers are interested in purchasing both the business and the property, and the offers come as corridor improvements keep moving forward.
- Wright Park Tenants Form a Union as Their Buildings Change Hands
- Tenants in three apartment buildings near Wright Park have organized the Wright Park Tenant Union as their properties are sold to Puyallup-based BlackRock Communities NW. Many of the residents are long-term and older tenants, and they are pushing for limits on rent hikes and evictions during the first year of new ownership, guaranteed units for longtime renters, and clearer commitments on repairs and maintenance. It is the latest in a growing string of Tacoma tenant unions.
- Walmart Files Permit for Wing Drone Delivery Hub on South Union
- Package-by-air could be coming to the Tacoma Walmart at 1965 S. Union Ave. A building permit would convert parking spaces into a Wing drone delivery hub, with fencing and storage equipment for the operation. Wing drones fly about 65 mph and descend to roughly 20 feet before lowering packages on a tether. It is the first such filling in Western Washington, and neighbors are split: one likes the convenience, another worries about crashes, lost packages, and theft. The permit is still in the city’s intake process, with no timeline yet, and city offcials say Tacoma has no existing restrictions on retail drone delivery.
- Spanaway Habitat Store Anniversary Sale @ Spanaway Habitat Store
- The anniversary sale runs Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Spanaway Habitat for Humanity Store is celebrating its anniversary with its own sale day: 50 percent off all donated items and 20 percent o! yellow-tag items. Furniture, building materials, appliances, and decorations are all in the mix. The store is at 15801 Paci”c Ave S, Spanaway.
- Parks Tacoma Fall Native Plant Sale: Order Online, Pick Up in October
- Landscape your yard with plants that are native to the area and give local birds, mammals, and insects a hand while you conserve water. The online sale runs September 18 to 27, with plant pickup October 3 to 5 at the Tacoma Nature Center. A shopping list of plants and seeds is posted on the sale page.
- Amtrak Cascades Airo Trains: Open Houses and Service Launch
- Public walk-throughs of the new Amtrak Cascades Airo trainsets are set for Sunday, September 27, in Portland and Seattle. Revenue service starts Wednesday, September 30, beginning with Seattle-to-Eugene trips.
- Toxic Algae Caution Advisory for Steilacoom Lake
- The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has issues a toxic algae caution advisory for Steilacoom Lake. People and pets should avoid areas of the lake with visible algae.
- South Tacoma Heat Study Finds Trees Really Do Cool Things Down
- Researchers bolted temperature loggers to 53 South Tacoma utility poles and got data back from 46; the rest fell to vandalism, theft, or other damage. Readings taken at the same moment varied by an average of 2.57 degrees Celsius from block to block, and modeling found that the tree canopy within 10 meters made a spot about 1 degree cooler. Translation for the next heat wave: the shady street is not your imagination.
- First Porcupine Ever Born at Point Defiance Zoo is Growing Fast
- Tacoma has a pint-sized superstar. A prehensile-tailed porcupine born August 17 to first-time parents Nigel and Qwillow is the first of her kind ever born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in its 121-year history. She’s a girl, and she is growing strong backstage at the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater.
- Tacoma Turns Your Recycled Glass Into Student Art Through New Pilot
- Got a stash of clear bottles in the garage? The city and Hilltop Artists are running a six-month pilot called “This is What We Make of It” that crushes recycled glass into cullet for Hilltop Artists students to turn into art, including the AMOCAT Arts Awards and hidden glass treasures. Drop off clear bottles and float glass, such as unframed windows and glass shelving, at the Tacoma Recycle Center, 3510 S. Mullen St. The pilot launched September 15 and runs through the end of February 2027.
Local Governance
- What Would It Take to Build a Detention Center on the Former TNT Property
- With talk of a possible detention or data center on the former TNT property, Tacoma City staff walked through the rules for LaTasha Palmer, and the short version is, “not so fast.” Palmer stresses that she has not been made aware of any permit application for a detention or data center on this or any other Tacoma site. The property has been zoned M-1 since 1988, and code allows an application for a conditional use permit for a detention facility on M-1 land, which the recent sale does not change. That is not traditional grandfathering, and the new owner has no guaranteed right to build.
- If someone does apply, they must hold a community meeting first, notify owners within 2,500 feet, go through a public hearing and comment process, prove a community-wide need, and show consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. The Hearing Examiner, not the City Council or Planning Director, makes the call and can approve, approve with conditions, or deny, with the usual target of 120 days after the application is deemed complete. Comments count most when they present evidence on the legal criteria, such as traffic, safety, and neighborhood compatibility, since this is not decided by popular vote. A standalone data center has no permitting pathway under current code. The Council could tighten the rules for future applications, though an outright ban carries legal risk from a 2022 federal appellate ruling that could weaken existing limits on expanding the Northwest ICE Processing Center.
- New IDEA High School Planned at Former Gault Middle School Site
- Tacoma Public Schools proposes a roughly 37,000-square-foot replacement facility for IDEA High School at the former Gault Middle School site, 1115 Division Lane. The school would serve about 400 students and support project-based learning and industry partnerships,. The project would be paid for by the Capital Projects Bond voters approved in February 2024. The district issued a Determination of Non-Significance under the State Environmental Policy Act, and comments or appeals must be received in writing by 4 p.m. on October 2, 2026, at planning@tacoma.k12.wa.us or by mail to Morris Aldridge, Executive Director of Planning and Construction, 3223 South Union Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98409.
- Pierce County Sets Burn Ban to Stage 1
- Cooler, wetter weather prompted Pierce County Fire Marshal Ken Rice to lower the burn ban in unincorporated Pierce County from Stage 2 to Stage 1, effective September 15. Small recreational fires in approved fire pits are allowed again, and gas, charcoal and wood barbecues are remain fine. Land-clearing fires and yard debris burning are still off limits. The statewide burn ban is scheduled to run through September 30 but could change with fire conditions. West Pierce Fire & Rescue also lowered its ban, and residents of cities and towns should check local rules.
- Parks Tacoma Wants Your Input on Its First Annual Budget
- Parks Tacoma is switching from a two-year budget to an annual one starting in 2027, which it calls a deliberate response to where its finances stand. An online activity is open now: rank eight operating budget program areas and tell the district what matters most before the budget is finalized.
- North Union Avenue Greenway Added to Tacoma Register of Historic Places
- The tree-lined medians and park-like character of North Union Avenue now have historic protection. Council Member John Hines supported adding the North Union Avenue Greenway to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places, crediting neighbors and community volunteers who did the research and made the case through the public process. The designation recognizes the median layouts and their park-like use.
- Council Member Hines Pushes Regional Spay and Neuter Effort After Cat Hoarding Cases
- After 61 cats were found in unsafe conditions on an abandoned sailboat near Owen Beach and more than 100 cats were later removed from a NE Tacoma Home, Council Member John Hines is working to convene shelters, veterinarians, nonprofits, and local governments to expand affordable spay and neuter services across Tacoma and Pierce County. His argument: stop asking animal control and rescues to absorb crises after the fact.
- Downtown Tacoma Street Parking Goes to $1.50 an Hour
- Downtown metered street parking rises from $1.00 to $1.50 an hour starting October 13. The city says demand for curbside spots has outgrown supply, so the bump is meant to keep street spaces for quick stops and steer longer stays to garages and lots. Garage and lot pricing is not changing: $1 an hour for the first four hours, up to $12 a day, plus monthly and discounted options. Time limits, payment methods, and the ADA placard exemption stay the same.
Arts & Entertainment
- Hell’s Belles @ Spanish Ballroom
- Hell’s Belles plays Friday, September 25, at 8 p.m. The closest thing to AC/DC you can see on a Friday night in Tacoma is an all-ages, all-female tribute band described as gloriously loud and tight. Bring earplugs. The show is at the Spanish Ballroom at McMenamins Elks Temple.
- Book-apalooza @ Steilacoom Community Center
- Book-apalooza runs Friday, September 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday September 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Friends of the Steilacoom Library are back with their semiannual book sale, billed as bigger and better than ever. Two days of used-book-sales, presumably at prices that will not make you flinch, benefit the library.
- Tacoma Puzzle Hunt @ Theater Square
- The Tacoma Puzzle Hunt starts Saturday, September 26, at noon. Downtown Tacoma turns into an outdoor escape room, and you could walk away with $500. Gather your cleverest friends, solve life-sized brainteasers around Theater Square, and chase the prize for the winning team. It is free to enter, and bragging rights come standard. The hunt is produced by the nonprofit Outdoor Discovery Project.
- Tacoma Cars & Coffee @ LeMay – America’s Car Museum
- Tacoma Cars & Coffee starts Saturday, September 26, at 9 a.m. Sip coffee, wander past classics and curios, and please skip the hero launches when you leave the parking lot.
- Boathouse Market @ Point Defiance Marina
- The Boathouse Market runs Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gather, stroll, and shop for handcrafted and artisan goods, with a nautical twist: every vendor offers at least two items with water, marine or nautical themes. Handcraft and artisan vendors only, so no resale table of mystery cords.
- Tacoma Reads: Daisy Hernandez in Conversation With Mayor Ibsen @ UW Tacoma
- The Tacoma Reads conversation takes place Thursday, October 1, at 6 p.m. Author Daisy Hernandez joins Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen for a conversation as part of Tacoma Reads. Doors open at 6 p.m. in William W. Philip Hall at UW Tacoma, It is free with registration. Tacoma Public Library is also running a Latine/x Heritage Month scavenger hunt through October 15.
- South Tacoma Way First Friday Passport
- The Business Passport returns Friday, October 2. Last month’s South Tacoma Way First Friday introduced a Business Passport: more than three dozen completed passports came back, each with at least five business visits, adding up to 180-plus confirmed stops along the corridor. Organizers say people discovered shops they did not know existed and were seen carrying purchases from one participating business into the next. The passport returns for October’s First Friday. Businesses that want in, or want to donate passport stops and prize wheel items, can contact Isaac Miller at 253-444-8102.
- Candlelight Tour @ Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
- Candlelight Tour runs Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, beginning at 6 p.m. each night. More than a hundred Fort Nisqually historical interpreters bring to life the men, women and children of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the year 1857. Guests eavesdrop on songs, dances, and games and the people from the past will not be aware of their 21st-century visitors. Tickets are required.
- Free Family Movies at the Blue Mouse
- The next free family movie is Saturday, October 3, at 11 a.m. Tacoma’s historic Blue Mouse Theater in Proctor screens no-cost family movies the first Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. New Friends of the Blue Mouse members also get one complimentary showing through the theater’s rewards program, making for an easy, budget-friendly weekend tradition.
- Junior League Brunch and Bingo @ Allenmore Golf Course & Events Center
- The fundraiser runs Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch, drinks, raffle prizes, and a slate of bingo games, all for a good cause: the third annual fundraiser supports the Junior League of Tacoma’s work advancing women’s leadership and its partners serving women and youth in Pierce County. Doors open at 10 a.m. and bingo starts at 11 a.m. Tickets start at $35 and include entry, breakfast, and a bingo dauber; VIP tickets at $55 add reserved seating, one drink ticket, and five raffle tickets. Raffle tickets are also sold on site for $5 each or five for $20. It is a 21+ event, and Washington State Gambling Commission rules bar selling bingo sheets in advance. It has sold out before, so do not dawdle. The venue is 2013 S Cedar St.
- Fife Harvest Festival @ Dacca Park
- Fife Harvest Festival takes place Saturday, October 3. Fife’s signature event marks the unofficial start of fall, and nearly everything is free. Expect bounce houses, carnival games, face painting, a petting zoo, and a tractor maze for the kids, plus a beer garden, axe throwing and a mechanical bull for the grown-ups. Free live music all day includes regional favorites The Fabulous Murphtones, and the Seattle Cossacks return with gravity-defying stunts on vintage motorcycles. Dozens of vendor booths and food trucks round it out, along with free roasted corn on the cob serves by your Fife City Council and city leadership team.
- DuPont Fall Farmers Market
- DuPont’s last farmers market of the year is Sunday, October 4. DuPont’s last market of the year has fresh produce, local vendors, food trucks, fall crafts, and trick-or-treating for kids at participating booths.
Opportunities
- OMWBE Certification 201 Workshop Rescheduled
- The City of Tacoma’s Equity in Contracting team and the state Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises will hold the Certification 201 workshop Monday, September 28, from 9 to 11 a.m. The workshop, previously announced for September 24, will be offered in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance at Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 243. Participants can start or complete an OMWBE certification application and are encouraged to bring a laptop, financial statements, and required application paperwork.
- Spaceworks Seeks Volunteers for Cosmic Bingo
- Attention Earthlings: Spaceworks Tacoma needs more crew for Cosmic Bingo, its delightfully chaotic mashup of bingo, trivia, and a rave happening Saturday, September 26. Volunteers help with guest check-in, concessions, and event setup and breakdown. In return, you get fed, you get glowed up, and you get to be part of an unforgettable night. No previous intergalactic experience required.
- National Public Lands Day Habitat Work Party @ Puget Park
- The work party runs Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to noon. Celebrate National Public Lands Day by getting your hands dirty. Volunteers at Puget Park will remove blackberries and other unwanted weeks, dig out roots, and hand-pull English ivy. Removing these invasive plants greatly improves wildlife habitat around Puget Sound. Show up for the park you love. This one is in partnership with NEEF.
- Habitat for Humanity Women Build Volunteer Day
- Grab a hammer. Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity is hosting a Women Build volunteer day on Saturday, October 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., open to all female-identifying people who want to learn construction skills in a safe, inclusive environment. New construction and home renovation opportunities are both available, New volunteers attend a virtual orientation before their first shift.
- Tacoma Audit Advisory Board Seeks Applicants
- Want a say in how the city runs without running for anything? Tacoma is accepting applications for the Audit Advisory Board through noon Monday, October 5. Apply through the City of Tacoma boards and commissions application page.
- Starting a Business in Washington Webinar
- Thinking about turning the side hustle into a real business? This free, one-hour Starting a Business in Washington webinar happens Tuesday, October 6, at 9 a.m. on Zoom. It covers planning, registration, and licensing requirements, and the paperwork you do not want to learn about the hard way.
- Tacoma Community Arts Projects Grants: $4,000 or $6,000
- Got an arts project that needs a little cash and a lot of community? The City of Tacoma is taking applications for Community Arts Projects funding from eligible Tacoma-based organizations and groups producing publicly accessible arts programming in any artistic discipline. Awards are $4,000 and $6,000, and applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, October 26. A grant workshop takes place Wednesday, October 7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., which is the smart place to ask the awkward questions before you write the budget.
- Washington Wants Your Ideas for a $1 Innovation Coin
- Washington is getting a commemorative dollar coin through the U.S. Mint’s American Innovation $1 Coin Program, with the state’s issuance set for 2029. State Treasurer Mike Pellicotti is asking the public for concepts, and Governor Ferguson has to send ideas to the Mint by mid-October, so your brainstorm has a deadline. Salmon and Mount Rainier are surely already taken, but you never know.
Recreation
- 2nd Annual Beat Beethoven 5K @ Wright Park
- The Beat Beethoven 5K starts Saturday, September 26, at 9 a.m. Symphony Tacoma’s Beat Beethoven 5K is back for round two, turning Wright Park into a classical chase scene with the Fifth Symphony as your pacer. You have about 30 minutes to finish before the final da-da-da-daahh. Claim bragging rights, fresh air, and some cultured cardio.
- Move & Groove: Fern Hill Open Streets
- Move & Groove runs Saturday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Celebrate Tacoma’s South End with a free, family-friendly Open Streets day of movement, music, and community fun. Walk, bike, or roll at your own pace between Birney Elementary School, Ryan’s Park and Charlotte’s Blueberry Park, or join a group bike ride. Each park stop has live music, games and activities. Contact Jackie Kaiser, Active Transportation Community Engagement Coordinator with Tacoma Mobility, at jkaiser3@tacoma.gov.
- NW Trek Elk, Bison, and Bighorn Sheep Get Rowdy for Rut Season
- September and October are rut season at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, when elk, bison, and bighorn sheep are in the Free-Roaming Area spar and display their dominance. Take a Wild Drive, join a Keeper Adventure or Elk Bugling Tour, or ride the Discovery Tram for a front-row seat to nature’s autumn drama.
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