University Place businesses say community support and events make Town Center the neighborhood hub

Residents and small-business owners at University Place described the shopping plaza as a neighborhood hub that brings together services, events and customers.

"The community of University Place and the businesses in University Place are very supportive of each other," said Resident (Speaker 1). Another business owner, identified in the transcript as Resident (Speaker 2), said, "we've been here 7 almost 8 years... we feel very proud that we're able to cater to our neighborhood here."

Speakers told the meeting the center’s mix of larger anchors and smaller merchants helps draw a range of customers. "In this plaza specifically, it's nice to have the bigger anchors along with the smaller businesses like us because we pull different people in," said Resident (Speaker 3). Speaker 4 pointed to family-run stores such as Wild Birds Unlimited and noted the owners operate multiple local locations, saying this reflected a local ownership base for the plaza.

Several speakers highlighted Town Center’s role as a civic and cultural hub. "Town Center is definitely the hub because we are doing so many great events. We have tree lighting, we have Duck Days, we have Oktoberfest," Resident (Speaker 5) said, and added that municipal services — the city house, police station and fire station — and nearby apartments contribute to steady foot traffic.

Speakers emphasized mutual support between residents and merchants: customers often patronize multiple businesses during a single visit, and business owners described everyday interactions and cross-referrals as a routine part of operating in the plaza. They said that the city has been "super supportive" and that local patrons want businesses to come to University Place and remain there.

No formal actions, votes or policy proposals were recorded in the transcript. The remarks consist of community and business testimony about the plaza’s economic and social role; speakers did not identify specific funding sources or pending municipal decisions tied to their comments.