Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department recently published a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) that evaluates the potential health effects of City of Tacoma’s Pacific Avenue Subarea Plan.
HIAs inform decision-makers and the public of the potential health outcomes—both beneficial and harmful—of a proposed project, policy, or program. They provide recommendations to increase potential benefits and reduce potential harm. An HIA is a resource for our community. It can be used to learn more about our neighborhoods, environmental health, and how our local policies and regulations can affect our health.
“We’re really excited to be a part of this planning,” said Director of Public Health, Chantell Harmon Reed. “Listening to community voices ensures plans reflect the real conditions that shape health. Health Impact Assessments use that input to evaluate potential impacts, helping prevent harm and promote equitable health outcomes for all.”
A summary of the HIA is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, and Russian.
Pacific Avenue, often referred to as “Pac Ave,” is a transportation corridor that connects downtown Tacoma to Tacoma’s South End and Eastside neighborhoods, and traverses through Parkland and Spanaway to Mount Rainier National Park.
With the rising popularity of automobiles and increased suburbanization in the mid-20th Century, communities on either side of Pacific Avenue were disconnected from each other, and the area became less safe for pedestrians, and the associated social connections were disrupted as it became more vehicle centric.
City of Tacoma is drafting a Subarea Plan for Pac Ave from its overlap with Interstate 5 to South 96th Street. The plan, informally referred to as “Picture Pac Ave,” aims to outline a long-term vision for growth and development that will guide future investments and complement planned and completed transit improvements along Pacific Avenue. The HIA makes recommendations that could make walking, biking, and rolling along Pac Ave safer, and could increase access to preventive health services and infrastructure in the area.
About Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s mission is to protect and improve the health of all people and places in Pierce County. As part of our mission, the Health Department tackles known and emerging health risks through policy, programs, and treatment to protect public health. Learn more at tpchd.org.