An attractive location

This cluster of publicly owned properties holds untapped development potential, officials say. They want to hire an urban planner to see how it might look if they could essentially design it again from scratch. Only Foss High School and Heidelberg Park would be guaranteed to remain in their current locations.

It’s one of the biggest clusters of public property in Tacoma.

But some officials aren’t sure they’re making the best use of the large swath of land that includes Cheney Stadium, Foss High School, Metro Parks Tacoma headquarters and Heidelberg Park.

To find out, they’re getting ready to hire an urban planner to take a fresh look at the property. It’s prime real estate along Highway 16 and the busy South 19th Street arterial, officials note. It could be a good spot for new mixed-use commercial and residential development.

The planner will be told that Foss High School and Heidelberg Park must remain in their current locations, but almost everything else will be up for discussion, including relocating Cheney Stadium and moving Metro Parks out of its building to make way for something else. Foss High School’s parking lot, track and ball field will be on the table, too.

Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg thinks the property holds the potential for a kind of “recreational village” with townhouses, apartments and shops built around the baseball stadium, perhaps with new biking and walking trails. In addition, property near the Metro Parks headquarters is one of three sites under consideration for a two-swimming-pool complex, possibly adding to the recreation choices.

Minor league baseball parks in Frisco, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, are cited as examples that might provide inspiration.

So far, it’s just “high-level visioning,” officials say. And it’s possible that a planner could recommend no changes, said Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson. But Ladenburg saw potential for a world-class golf course in an old gravel pit, and succeeded in building Chambers Bay Golf Course.

City officials estimated the cost of a full master plan at $150,000, Anderson said. The various governments will share in the cost. If Anderson receives the go-ahead from the Joint Municipal Action Committee, he will start the process of selecting a planner. The Joint Municipal Action Committee consists of officials from the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, Metro Parks and the Tacoma School District.

Tacoma interim school Superintendant Art Jarvis said via a spokeswoman that the district is “present and aware” of the discussion and willing to work with the city and county.

Mike McCall, president of Tacoma Rainiers owner Schlegal Sports, is encouraged by the talk. A new or improved stadium, either in its current location or somewhere else on the property, could be a catalyst for additional development, he said. Opportunities for a fresh look at property this size are rare, McCall added. “This one’s got a great feel to it,” he said. “The timing is right.”

The talk started with a discussion about the future of the city-owned baseball stadium. Although $2.5 million in state funding has been spent on improvements in the last few years, and the state Legislature set aside $2.5 million more last year that’s yet to be spent, there’s a possibility Cheney Stadium will need to be rebuilt because of seismic issues, Ladenburg said.

If that’s the case, it might make sense to put it in a different location, perhaps closer to Highway 16, Ladenburg said. Officials considered hiring an expert to look specifically at the stadium location, he said, and then decided it made sense to look at all of the property at the same time.

Mike Combs, public assemblies facilities director for the city, did not rule out the possibility of moving Cheney Stadium, but said he thinks it’s more likely the stadium will see continued renovation at its current location. “I suppose it could be moved, but you’re talking major, major dollars,” Combs said.

Jack Wilson, Metro Parks’ executive director, said the park district would consider relocating its offices if it made sense financially. The district is looking at all of its property with an eye toward revenue, Wilson said. In November, a revenue task force identified the parks headquarters and Heidelberg Park property as a potential “neighborhood urban village mixed-use center.”

The Metropolitan Park District apparently acquired the property in question in 1928 as part of its purchase of Snake Lake and some 140-plus acres of adjacent property. However, the history isn’t entirely clear. Park board minutes from 1912 show that commissioners agreed to accept a land donation from R.A. Booth, an Oregon lumberman who is credited with helping start Oregon’s state parks system.

Heidelberg Park was the first major development on the land. It was dedicated in August 1957, shortly after construction of Kiwanis Hill, the old Soap Box Derby racing track that survives in remnants below the Metro Parks headquarters parking lot. Cheney Stadium was built in 1960, followed by Foss High School in 1973. In 1993, the award-winning – and controversial – Metro Parks headquarters building opened. Some criticized the $2.9 million building as extravagant, though officials defended it, saying it actually was economical and looked “richer” than it was.

Because of its proximity to Highway 16 and the good on- and off-ramps, the property could be attractive to private developers, said J.J. McCament, a Tacoma real estate consultant and former City of Tacoma economic development official. The property is isolated from other neighborhoods, which is a plus, McCament said. “The idea of something recreation-themed I think would be very appealing,” she said.

On the other hand, McCament wondered if a development might get bogged down in the bureaucracy of so many governments. The public entities might have better luck if they create the infrastructure first and look for a builder to come in and finish it rather than search for a developer, she said.

Also, the idea of relocating Cheney Stadium or Metro Parks vacating its headquarters could prove unpopular with taxpayers. McCament suggested adding the stadium and Metro Parks buildings to the list of items that an urban planner couldn’t touch.

“It’s easy to take a blank piece of paper and come up with something, but you might not be able to execute it,” she said.

Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542

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PROPERTY TIMELINE

1912: Metropolitan Park District board votes to accept Snake Lake as a gift from Oregon lumberman R.A. Booth. It’s not clear whether the district took possession of the property, however.

1928: Metro Parks buys Snake Lake and surrounding property from several owners, including R.A. Booth and Willamette University. Booth, who served as an Oregon state senator and is credited with helping start the Oregon State Parks system, was a benefactor to many schools, including Willamette. The original idea was to develop a municipal 18-hole golf course on the burnt-over, logged-off property, according to Thelma Graham Farrelly’s historical diary of Snake Lake.

July 1957: Construction is under way on Kiwanis Hill Soap Box Derby track. The derby, sponsored by The News Tribune, was begun in 1936 by the newspaper’s auto editor. It was previously held on South Yakima Street and on South 25th Street.

August 1957: Heidelberg Athletic Park is dedicated. The Heidelberg Brewery Foundation contributed $60,000 toward construction of the baseball fields. Tacoma’s Studs beat the Seattle Red Sox 15-1 in the opening game.

1960: Cheney Stadium opens. It was built in three months and 14 days and dubbed the “100-day wonder.” Little-known fact: Soldiers from Fort Lewis used napalm to set fire to the infield dirt to dry it out for the inaugural game between the Tacoma Giants and Portland Beavers.

1973: Henry Foss High School opens.

1993: Metro Parks moves into its $2.9 million brick building, designed by Merritt and Pardini. It won the American Institute of Architects Southwest Washington honor award.