City records show history of complaints regarding downtown Tacoma building that burned
A building that erupted in flames Tuesday in Tacoma has seen its share of issues in the past year.
The property, spanning 710-718 Fawcett Ave., has been the focus of multiple police calls and derelict-building complaints, according to city records.
In response to questions from The News Tribune, city officials provided complaints dating back to 2018.
In May 2018, the city received a report of derelict building. Inspection found no derelict status, and the case was closed.
On Sept. 28, 2022, another derelict-building report was filed. A case was created Oct. 4 and the building was posted “Must Not Occupy” that day. City records indicate the owner was notified on Oct. 6. The site was secured by the city in November but boarded up again Feb. 1 after someone entered it.
On Feb. 10, the city received an additional complaint, listed as “property boarded and attracting wrong people.” A re-inspection Feb. 28 showed the site secure.
In response to questions Tuesday about any criminal activity at the site in the past year, Wendy Haddow, media representative for Tacoma Police, cited numerous calls from January 2022 to present.
Those included two security checks in 2022 and Tuesday’s fire listed under 718 Fawcett, and 20 calls listed under 710 Fawcett, four of which are from 2023. They were a fire, a trespass and two other possible checks of the site.
“The rest in 2022 are a destruction of property arrest, two fires, three suspicious person reports, one suspicious vehicle, a burglary, five security checks, a welfare check, as assist with mental health, and a patrol check,” Haddow said via email.
A Lakewood-based LLC is listed as the site’s owner. Questions sent to the account registered with the LLC via email and a call to the phone number also assigned to the LLC did not yield a response as of Tuesday evening.
The building dates back to 1946, according to county records. It was last renovated in 1985. The current LLC purchased the site in December 2006 for just over $1.8 million.
In 2014, a CBRE market analysis of Tacoma office buildings showed the property with zero leases at that time.
Fire officials on scene told reporters Tuesday that the building had been vacant for some time and deemed the property a total loss.
Runoff from the fire response sent water and debris streaming into downtown.
