Victoria-style eatery to shut forward of Sound Transit Light Rail enlargement in Tacoma

A Victorian-style tearoom in Tacoma, the Olive Branch Café and Tea Room, completely shuttered its doorways on Friday forward of plans to demolish the Freighthouse Square for a brand new Link Light Rail station.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Olive Branch Café & Tea Room will be closing its doors,” The Olive Branch Café and Tea Room said on its website. “This space has been far more than a café. It has been a gathering place, a refuge, a meeting spot for friends, neighbors, and strangers who quickly became family.”

Tacoma tea room newest to depart Freighthouse Square

The Olive Branch Café and Tea Room has been housed inside Tacoma’s Freighhouse Square for greater than a decade because it opened in 2015.

Founder Terry Waller stated she opened the tea room to deliver high-end tea tradition to Pierce County, which had nothing prefer it on the time.

In 2021, the Olive Branch Café and Tea Room was bought to Christina Hernandez and Natural Allah, who had beforehand owned a number of endeavors in Pierce County.

“We are deeply grateful for your support, kindness, and loyalty over the years. Every visit, every smile, and every shared moment meant more to us than we can fully express,” the corporate said. “You trusted us with your time, your conversations, and your community, and that has been an honor. Thank you for being part of our story. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for allowing us to be part of yours.”

Tacoma Link Light Rail enlargement plans

In July, the Sound Transit Board unanimously authorized its plan to construct a new Tacoma Dome Link light rail extension that may join Tacoma and Seattle.

The new gentle rail station would demolish the native Freighthouse Square, an indoor marketplace for greater than 100 years, and is anticipated to displace 43 native companies.

Allah beforehand famous that the dearth of communication from the Sound Transit Board was regarding.

“The ambiguity is the problem,” Allah stated, in line with The Tacoma News Tribune. “Many of the businesses here, it’s their livelihood, and you’re basically saying, ‘Well, we’re gonna give you something, you know, but we’re not gonna tell you what it is. You’re going to have to move, but we’re not gonna say exactly when.’ How does that play out, you know, in the scheme of things?”

The Sound Transit Board contemplated three various routes, which might displace considerably fewer companies, though it might be dearer.

Sound Transit officers have considered varied methods to assist native companies, which would come with a brand new meals corridor that may very well be housed within the backside stage of the brand new station. The planning course of for the brand new station started in 2017 and is anticipated to finish in 2027. The design course of is anticipated to final from 2027 to 2029, and building could be underway between 2029 and 2035.

Sound Transit says demolition is ‘not a given’

However, Sound Transit Public Information Officer David Jackson despatched an announcement to MyNorthwest that the demolition “is not a given.”

“We are in the middle of two years of environmental review for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension that will determine what the project to be built looks like. In the interim, Sound Transit has met with the businesses of Freighthouse Square to address questions and concerns and establish open lines of communication,” Jackson wrote.

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