Tiffany Speir
Long-Range & Special Projects Manager
6000 Main St SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253) 983-7702
To email City employees combine the first letter of their first name with their full last name and add @cityoflakewood.us
Available by phone and email:
Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Updates
The draft 2024 Tillicum-Woodbrook Subarea Plan (TWSP) is available here to view. The new subarea plan includes the Woodbrook Neighborhood as well as Tillicum.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the new draft TWSP plan as part of the 2024 Periodic Review package on June 5, 2024 at 6: 30 pm. Click here for more details.
Background
Project Overview
In 2009, Lakewood released a Vision for Tillicum document which outlined six key planning initiatives. In 2011, the Tillicum Neighborhood Plan was adopted as a City Subarea Plan. In 2022, the City adopted an Addendum to the TNP that explains what has been done since 2011 to make the Plan’s vision a reality.
The 2022 review process ended with the City Council adopting a 2022 Addendum to the 2011 Tillicum Neighborhood Plan that shows the status of its implementation as well as recognizes conditions that have changed since 2011, including:
- the I-5 Expansion through Lakewood and other projects affecting access to Tillicum
- the replacement of the Berkeley and Thorne Lane Interchanges in the Tillicum area
- Zoning Changes within the neighborhood
2022 Expansion of Tillicum Center of Municipal Importance Boundaries
- Through Ordinance 772, the City Council also updated the boundaries of the Tillicum Center of Municipal Importance (CoMI), which can be seen in the map below.
Transportation Improvements near Tillicum
July 2023 Gravelly Thorne Connector Road Project Update: Last week, WSDOT reported that their design team is transitioning from the scoping phase into design and that the design is around 15% completed.
WSDOT Map of Gravelly Thorne Connector Road Project
The construction schedule is expected as follows:
- Begin Design Phase: July 2023
- Advertise for Construction: March 2025
- Begin Construction: June 2025
- Construction Complete: July 2026
https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/i-5-gravelly-thorne-connector
This new schedule a two year delay from what Lakewood had heard previously from WSDOT. The change may be driven by the State having to pull the funding to complete other work due to significant inflationary impacts coupled with recent retirements of WSDOT staff who were working on this project.
Please note that a portion of this project has been completed; the creation of a dedicated I-5 northbound auxiliary lane from the Thorne Lane interchange to the Gravelly Lake Drive interchange and a dedicated I-5 southbound auxiliary lane from the Gravelly Lake Drive interchange to the Thorne Lane interchange, which were contracted specifically for connecting the Tillicum/Woodbrook neighborhoods to Lakewood proper. These improvements were made as part of the construction of the new Thorne Lane interchange.
In addition, the Tacoma Country and Golf Club has reached out to the City and WSDOT leadership to discuss the 2027 USGA US Senior Women’s Open that is being hosted by the TCGC in 2027 and the project schedule.
I-5 Improvements through JBLM
Location of proposed Gravelly-Throne Connector
