Tacoma Announces AMOCAT Arts Award Winners

2026 AMOCAT Arts Award Winners Announced — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:39:12 +0000
The Tacoma Arts Commission has announced this year’s AMOCAT Arts Award recipients: Arts & Culture Coalition of Pierce County (Arts Patron), Rainbow Center and Ted Brown Music (Community Outreach by an Organization), and Theresa Pan Hosley and Angela Jossy (Community Outreach by an Individual). The AMOCAT Arts Awards honor the people and organizations that positively impact the community with their passion, innovation, and commitment to the arts. Arts Patron Award The Arts Patron award recognizes the Arts & Culture Coalition of Pierce County for bringing the region’s cultural organizations together and advocating for lasting public investment in the arts. The Coalition represents more than 30 arts, culture, science, and heritage organizations, as well as key regional stakeholders. It strengthens sector relationships through convenings, member spotlights, and consistent information-sharing that helps organizations collaborate, problem-solve, and learn from one another. Through coordinated advocacy, strategic partnerships, and decades of persistent organizing, the Coalition has helped secure major policy wins that reshaped the region’s cultural landscape. It championed Washington State’s Cultural Access legislation in 2015, led the community campaign that established Tacoma Creates in 2018, and supported its successful reauthorization in 2025. In partnership with Inspire Washington, it has mobilized advocates, resulting in unprecedented state investment in Pierce County’
Source: https://tacoma.gov/news/2026-amocat-arts-award-winners-announced/

City of Tacoma Awarded Competitive State Grant to Evaluate Residential Development Regulations and Permit Processing Times — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 20:43:32 +0000
The City of Tacoma has received a $70,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. This grant funding allows for an independent audit of the City’s existing residential development regulations. The City expects to have a consultant under contract in early 2027, with the regulation audit beginning shortly after. The project will result in a prioritized set of recommended changes to City code and permitting procedures, along with a roadmap to implementing those changes. An analysis of the City’s permit data indicates that the main factor influencing the timeline for a residential building permit is not the first review, but the number of re-submittals applicants must go through before receiving a permit. The audit will pay close attention to the regulations and procedures driving those re-submittals alongside other barriers to timely review. Tacoma was one of eight jurisdictions selected statewide from 60 applications requesting a total of $3.7 million. In notifying the City of the award, the Washington State Department of Commerce cited Tacoma’s “strong readiness” and “clear plan” for process improvements. “Tacoma needs more housing, and receiving this grant to improve our permitting systems is a key step to help developers, both big and small, build homes faster and for less money,” said Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen. “Thank you to the Washington State Department of Commerce for awarding us the grant, and to the exceptional City staff for their work in 
Source: https://tacoma.gov/news/city-of-tacoma-awarded-competitive-state-grant-to-evaluate-residential-development-regulations-and-permit-processing-times/

City of Tacoma to Host ‘Picture Pac Ave’ Code Update Open House on October 20 — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 20:37:33 +0000
Community members are invited to explore the future of Pacific Avenue at a Code Update Open House on October 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Moore Branch of the Tacoma Public Library (215 S. 56th St. in Tacoma), with a brief staff presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. “Tacoma’s Eastside has long been underinvested in,” said Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen. “Picture Pac Ave creates a community shaped vision for more housing, tre