It seems as though so many of you Tacomans crave redevelopment.



You want, and you do deserve, a better quality of life, stronger amenities, walkability, bikeablity and, most important of all, public safety.



But if it’s redevelopment we want, you must understand that often what comes with redevelopment is construction. Ladies and gents, they go hand-in-hand.



Show me a city where there isn’t construction occurring, and I’ll tell you that it’s likely a sleepy suburban hollow, which is the last place that you’ll ever find me.



Within Tacoma, many of the streets and the infrastructure are antiquated and drastically in need of updating in a coordinated way.



Thus, construction and redevelopment will always be a mainstay in our beautiful, historic city, and I’d like to contend that we as citizens need to stop fighting it and learn to work with it.



I don’t wish to sound like a soapbox school teacher because the real aim of my column this week is to urge you to not ever let construction get in your way of frequenting our city’s amenities.



Believe me, at one point or another, each section of Tacoma will require construction, and if we band together, the businesses and neighbors within these areas will prosper.

Of course, it might take a few minutes longer to get to specific amenities when construction is occurring, but what breaks my heart is that this time lapse deters so many of you from frequenting businesses as the merchants are waiting and hoping that you’ll visit them.



Personally, I’m not daunted by orange cones, large cranes, traffic re-routes or flaggers. I’m also not worried about having to park farther away from businesses and walking to them, because I know I could use the exercise.



I completely understand that construction is a hassle and hell for those merchants that have to endure it. Walk-ins disappear, profits drop, and citizens assume they’re not open.

However, I can guarantee that new curbs, gutters, sidewalks, trees, lighting and the like will all be worth it in the end.



In the meantime, we need to support these businesses to the best of our ability because again, construction will likely be coming to a district near you, and I’m sure you’ll want and need that favor returned.



Take, for example, the Broadway LID construction project. I’m betting it’s getting slowed down by this crazy weather, which probably means that cool businesses including Over the Moon Café, Serenity Spa, The Mix, Margaret’s Café, Guitar Maniacs and Puget Sound Pizza are hurting.



I think we as a city of people should ascend upon these places as a personal Band-Aid during construction.



We should also do so with each and every construction project that comes our way, and in the long run, is improving our city.



Tell me where you like to party here.