Big changes coming to Tacoma neighborhoods as city moves to rework single-family zoning
In an effort to address the city’s affordable housing crisis, Tacoma is working on a plan to move away from its current single-family zoning, which now dominates the majority of residential land in the city.
Two new land-use designations, low-scale residential and mid-scale residential, would replace the current single-family and multifamily-low density land use designations.
If adopted, more types of housing could be on the way, revamping allowable options to develop in more locations, not just certain segments.
The move would allow houses on smaller lots and permit multi-family housing in more areas of the city.
City officials and proponents say they are taking pains to ensure the changes cause the least amount of disruption as possible for existing neighborhoods, but that something needs to be done to increase housing supply.
The project, called Home in Tacoma, is set to boost what so far has been the “missing middle” of housing.
Missing middle includes housing options that in the past were not included under the traditional single-family residential zoning. These types generally fall between detached single-family homes and mid-rise multifamily units, for example small cottages, duplexes, triplexes and townhomes.
Those behind the project also hope the changes will further move the city away from historic housing inequities, such as those that date back to Tacoma’s real estate redlining history.
While many people, particularly those struggling to find affordable housing, are cheering the project, saying changes are long overdue, others contend the process is moving too fast.
After a public hearing April 7, and the end of a public comment period April 9, the city’s Planning Commission will finalize and forward recommendations to the City Council, which is expected to take action in June-July.
That will launch a second phase of public discussion and analysis in support of zoning changes, standards updates and other actions, according to project information posted online.
The current schedule calls for zoning, standards and infrastructure actions by the end of 2021, though city officials acknowledge that it could take longer. Additionally, the Home In Tacoma Housing Action Plan calls for actions that likely will take years to fully implement, such as anti-displacement measures and education and support for people seeking to build affordable housing.
According to the plan: “The proposed Missing Middle Housing actions apply within Tacoma’s primarily single-family neighborhoods citywide (see the Housing Growth Scenarios map). They do not apply in designated Mixed-Use Centers, or in areas set aside for commercial, industrial, parks and open space, shorelines, and major institutions, or in the Airport Compatibility Overlay District.”
Also: “Proposed affordability actions would likely apply within Downtown, Centers and potentially in areas designated mid-scale.”
“For many decades now, we’ve had this strategy to grow downtown, and in designated centers … and in recent years, we have been seeing growth happening there,” said Elliott Barnett, senior planner for the City of Tacoma. “But that was a long-term strategy that was really put in place in the ‘90s. ... It’s the first time that we have really had a significant conversation about growth in the city.”
“We’ve had lots of important conversations, but it’s been fine-tuning the base growth strategy of centers and corridors.”
While Home in Tacoma is a large, complex project with many details still to be determined, Tacoma is not the first city to undertake such an effort, with more cities nationwide reconsidering single-family zoning to boost housing inventory.
“We’re not the first-wave city to be looking at these things,” Barnett added, “so that’s made it not so initially shocking and challenging to people when we start talking about doing significant changes.”
Some residents already are fully embracing the plans.
“After a few East Tacoma meetings on the topic, there has been a resounding push for support around the first reading,” Tara Scheidt, Vice President for the Eastside Neighborhood Council told The News Tribune via email.
“We are interested to see if this will help with the dire need for housing throughout Tacoma that is currently pushing lifelong residents out and preventing families from growing here. Something has got to lift this community up and more housing such as rezoning, allowing to split homes into duplexes and triplexes or stretching the (mixed use center) idea further from their current footprints.”
“We need more units, and we need them yesterday,” she added.
Others are concerned about the speed toward approval.
At least one resident wrote The News Tribune saying he was suspicious of the project’s timeline as a way to avoid legal challenges. He interpreted Home in Tacoma’s action items, under state law, as not subject to appeal under Sections 3 (SEPA) and 4 (Growth Management Act) provided that its actions are adopted before April 1, 2023.
Barnett, when questioned on this, told The News Tribune: “Nothing suspicious about the timeline. The timeline was set by the City Council, with no reference to any SEPA process, because they feel that urgent action is needed. We are doing everything we can to inform and involve people and really trying to have a robust discussion in the community.”
Some neighborhood leaders also expressed either skepticism or concern about not only the seemingly swift pace of the process but also lack of specifics to their particular questions or lack of awareness among residents of what’s happening.
Yvonne McCarty, chair of the Northeast Tacoma Neighborhood Council, told The News Tribune that from her perspective, there had been “minimal public outreach to date.”
“Our Neighborhood Council is scrambling to set up a community meeting this week to get the word out prior to the Planning Commission’s public hearing ...,” McCarty said.
That meeting was held Thursday evening, with Barnett in attendance.
He told the meeting attendees: “I just want to make it clear to everybody that it’s not just about maximum number of housing units everywhere at the lowest cost. It’s really about creating great neighborhoods that are welcoming to more people.”
The city used a survey open to residents taken earlier this year to gain a sense of housing needs and what types of housing people wanted. The survey received responses from 870 people.
Officials also held an online informational meeting to explain the project March 18, and the city has a website devoted to the project, along with an interactive map where people can offer real-time feedback.
There also was a virtual housing café discussion series, with 60 to 80 people participating in each of the three sessions, according to Barnett. Recordings of those also are on the project homepage.
In a list provided by Barnett, other outreach has included more 40 consultations/briefings (most open to the public) so far with:
▪ Planning Commission (leading this effort)
▪ Housing Equity Taskforce
▪ City Commissions
▪ Neighborhood and community groups
▪ Housing development professionals
▪ Equity and social justice stakeholders
▪ City departments and partner agencies
Getting the message out into the community has been complicated by current COVID-19 meeting restrictions, placing the bulk of outreach about the project online via virtual meetings.
“There are a lot of variables and details that make it difficult to simplify in a way that feels meaningful to people having a sense of understanding what changes are going to happen in their neighborhood,” said Jacques Colon, the city’s 2025 strategic manager in the City Manager’s Office, who is working with different departments to make sure that that project is also being talked about and represented in other places where housing interests are discussed.
He described the outreach his office had been involved in as engaging “groups that maybe we wouldn’t have talked to about zoning, but that are interested in housing work that we feel like should have a voice in what they think growth strategy should be.”
THE PLAN
Home in Tacoma is one piece of the larger Affordable Housing Action Strategy and other strategies here and statewide, including a recently approved sales tax to fund affordable housing projects in Tacoma and a revamp of the state’s multifamily tax exemption that’s up for consideration in the state Legislature.
“I like to point out that this is missing middle and infill, that’s a big part of the proposal, but we also are looking at affordable housing tools to supplement what can be achieved through just housing development,” Barnett said.
“There’s going to be an unmet need still for some people who are not going to be able to afford market-rate housing even if we make it as easy as we possibly could,” said Barnett.
“And so, we’re looking at other cities for those examples. Lots of cities like Seattle and Portland and many places have put in whatever affordable incentives or affordable housing requirements to go along with development.”
Tacoma’s Planning Commission is seeking feedback on the Home in Tacoma project. From that feedback, the commission will make recommendations to the City Council for amendments to the comprehensive plan, zoning and land-use regulatory code.
For now, the majority of residential land in Tacoma is designated for single-family homes, and even with Home in Tacoma, single-family dwellings would remain a strong presence.
“There will still be lots and lots of single-family houses and neighborhoods that are going to be single-family for a long time, even if the rules do open up,” Barnett noted.
“It just might not be right there next to a dense center, where the goal is really to try to have a more urban walkable lifestyle.”
The project’s goals:
▪ Allow more housing types throughout Tacoma’s neighborhoods, such as duplexes, triplexes, cottage housing, and, in some cases, fourplexes and small multifamily housing
▪ Allow mid-scale multifamily housing in areas close to shopping and transit.
▪ Update design standards so new housing complements the neighborhood.
▪ Strengthen policies and programs to make housing more affordable.
▪ Strengthen anti-racism and anti-displacement policies and programs.
Home in Tacoma proposes two new residential land-use designations that would replace the current single family and multi-family low-density land use designations, and establish infill design principle.
One of the two new designations would be low-scale residential. That category would include development smaller in size but more than just single family, including duplex, triplex, townhouses, cottage housing and shared housing. In some circumstances, fourplex, small multifamily and tiny/mobile homes also would be considered.
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Development standards in this classification would address building height and scale similar to houses, backyard accessory structures, limiting the size/bulk of structures, usable open space/yards and moderate onsite parking.
“For the low scale, if that’s where I live, a neighbor builds something new or converts their house, the design standards would be in place to say that that structure would be still basically the size and shape of a house,” Barnett explained. “There’s a certain reality that I’m going to have more neighbors than I would have.
“And people may like that or not like that. But as far as the structure goes, you know, how it’s built, we can do a lot there.”
The other designation would be mid-scale residential, which would support larger multifamily housing in areas near transit and shopping. including multifamily, live-work and limited retail/office, in addition to those allowed in low-scale neighborhoods.
Areas near centers, corridors and bus routes are proposed for mid-scale residential.
Development standards in this classification would address building height, with width and depth to be between houses and centers, and transitions where higher density development would abut low-scale neighborhood boundaries.
The two types share an emphasis on pedestrian orientation to the sidewalk and street, street trees, reduced lot sizes and setbacks, encourage alley access for cars, and design standards for specific housing types.
The commission also is seeking input on the two growth scenarios proposed for the city’s neighborhoods.
▪ Scenario 1 is called “Evolve Housing Choices” and designates 75 percent to low-scale residential and 25 percent to mid-scale.
▪ Scenario 2 is called “Transform Housing Choices” and would dedicate 40 percent to low-scale residential and 60 percent to mid-scale.
An interactive online map on the city’s website allows for people to review changes in their own neighborhood and leave comments in real time.
As for infill design principles, according to Home in Tacoma’s documents, it aims for new housing that complements “neighborhood scale and patterns, and provides transitions from higher-scale to lower-scale areas.”
“Proposals include actions to reduce demolitions of viable structures, to ensure that housing growth is supported by infrastructure and services, and steps to assist people of color and others facing economic barriers to access housing and build family wealth,” according to the project summary overview.
Already, fears have been expressed among residents and feedback received by council members regarding the potential for four-story properties emerging next to single-family homes.
Barnett acknowledged many details remain to be worked.
He noted, “If I’m on a block where single-family houses are, and right next door to me a four-story house is built, there are things that we can do with the design standards and manage that transition.”
Additionally, he noted, the four-story height scenario is not yet determined.
“What we’re asking council for right now is a decision about moving away from single-family-only zoning and creating two tiers, a low and a mid, the exact height is yet to be determined. The exact standards, all that stuff needs to get worked out,” Barnett said.
“But we would put in place standards and try to make it to reduce the impacts that produce shade, and those sorts of things, setback, height and other things.”
The city is aware that residents are worried about the ultimate outcome, Barnett said, but that’s also why public engagement, such as the upcoming public hearing, is important for people to participate in.
“I guess I would have to refer back to the benefit of the majority of people,” he told The News Tribune. “Does it make sense for the city to have the precious asset like the ability to walk, to shopping and transit right there outside of your door, for a small number of people, or should that actually be shared with more people?”
WHAT HAVE OTHER CITIES DONE?
Minneapolis made headlines as the first major U.S. city to end single-family zoning in every neighborhood, which took effect last year. That policy allows buildings with up to three units to be built on any residential lot.
“Several cities are doing this exact same thing because it’s everywhere all on the same trajectory,” Barnett said.
“First was Minneapolis. They really made national news when they decided that they were going to move away from single-family only zoning, and then Portland, more recently … they adopted some significant housing choices in their existing neighborhoods. And then after that there have been several cities in the last few months: Sacramento, California, Austin, Texas.”
It’s not just major cities, he added, where the move away from single-family residential zoning has taken hold.
“A couple of years ago. Walla Walla, Washington, eliminated their single-family-only zoning, and now there’s more housing choices in the little city of Walla Walla as well,” said Barnett.
That city overhauled its zoning code in 2018, collapsing its three traditional single-family zones into one new zone now called Neighborhood Residential.
It also implemented a minimum-density standard of four dwelling units per net acre (no longer a minimum lot size requirement) and permitted up to fourplexes in the Neighborhood Residential zone, according to Elizabeth Chamberlain, deputy city manager for Walla Walla.
“As the city went through our periodic comprehensive plan update (2017-2018), common theme in the public comments was affordable housing. The City also conducts annually a statistically valid citizen satisfaction survey and we hear affordable housing is a top priority,” Chamberlain told The News Tribune via email this week.
Chamberlain noted, “We are working through the NIMBYISM and have a supportive City Council that sees the need for additional housing supply.”
“Where we still have struggles is when a project is proposed, adjacent neighbors comment about increased traffic and the housing units are not ‘compatible,’ she said. “Even though the community overall says affordable housing is a priority, but still want the construction to happen not near them.”
The changes have made progress, she noted.
“We have begun to see more infill development as well as more dense subdivisions,” she said.
“Lots that could not be subdivided under the old zoning scheme because of the former minimum lot size could not be met now can short plat an additional buildable lot. Example, a 13,000-square-foot lot with a house and zoned R-72 (min. lot size 7,200 sq. ft.) could not subdivide under the old zoning. With the new Neighborhood Residential zone the same lot can be short platted and an additional home constructed.
“COVID-19 slowed projects down, but we now have several subdivisions in the pipeline that are incorporating smaller lot sizes, duplexes, and cottage housing.”
Chamberlain included a list of projects in the pipeline:
▪ Avery Estates, a 59-lot subdivision of 67 units, lot sizes range 4,300 to 8,700 square feet, primarily smaller single-family residential units with 8 duplex lots.
▪ Harvey Ranch Estates: 238 lots, lot sizes range 5,000 to 8,000 square feet, now under review.
▪ Cottage Housing project (Boyer Cottages): 9 lot cottage housing, infill development.
▪ Herbert Estates: 11 lot subdivision with 18 new housing units and 2 existing homes remaining.
▪ Sonoma Place Short Plat: 9 lots with 4 single-family residential units, 2 townhomes, and 3 duplexes.
REACTION SO FAR
Reaction among residents to Home in Tacoma is mixed.
Some Tacoma residents, disappointed in the past by developments or changes where they felt they weren’t included in the process, already are speaking out against either parts or all of the proposal.
“Fix our city problems first before taking on new huge projects that will heavily impact our neighborhoods,” Cheri Solien, co-chair of Tacoma’s West End Neighborhood Council, wrote in an emailed statement to The News Tribune, co-signed by fellow council members Kim Vasick and Brian DePew.
Solien noted the full council had yet to discuss Home in Tacoma because it has been tied up with organizing city-wide all volunteer litter clean-up day, Litter Free 253.
In a list of concerns about the project, she wrote: “I do not trust developers to do the right thing, but I do expect the developers to get a huge tax break and other incentives that will ruin our neighborhoods. Question: Where do the developers live?”
Other leaders consider Home in Tacoma’s plans long overdue in a city where affordability has been a focus of reform, including through the city’s Affordable Housing Action Strategy, created in 2018.
Athena Brewer, South End Neighborhood Council co-chair, said she supported Home In Tacoma in part for correcting past and ongoing ingrained inequity in the city.
“We recognize this pandemic has only exacerbated existing inequities in general, but housing in particular,” Brewer wrote to The News Tribune. “The need for expanded housing options in Tacoma has reached a critical point — as evidenced by the number of our houseless neighbors living outside in tents today.
“We fully support projects like Home in Tacoma to accommodate our growing city while also importantly addressing the systemic racism of redlining in our recent past that led to our current housing situation.”
Other neighborhood leaders expressed frustration about the pace at which Home in Tacoma is moving and lack of overall understanding of the project.
“They should slow this down and test this through a pilot, to measure outcomes and ensure against any unintended consequences,” McCarty of the Northeast Tacoma Neighborhood Council said via email. “The City should ensure that its citizens are aware of such a sweeping change to property rights.”
“It appears to us that the City of Tacoma Planning Office is hurrying this project through without proper notice to the community. Yes, we all got a postcard, but much more publicity needs to be done before there is a vote on it,” Solien wrote.
Kyle Price, chairman of the North End Neighborhood Council, said the council was crafting its own response about the project, with plans to meet with Barnett for a neighborhood meeting April 5.
As of March 31, NENC had not taken an official position on the proposal, according to Price.
“There’s clearly some frustration with the shortness of the comment period,” Price told The News Tribune via email. “And there’s some concern over the vagueness of the building and design guidelines, especially with the mid-scale developments. Are shrinking setbacks OK? Will parking just end up on the street? What are the specific heights allowed?”
Issues tied to multifamily units and the standards governing them already have been contentious in the Proctor neighborhood, most recently over the development of the six-story Proctor III, a subject that’s been a hot topic at NENC meetings in the past.
He said feedback so far on NENC’s Facebook page to Home in Tacoma included a mix of reactions.
“Along with the concerns, there are several comments on our Facebook that are supportive of the changes in the zoning, but even among those, I’m sure I wouldn’t get many volunteers if I were to ask if anyone wants a four-story, sunshine-blocking wall 5 feet from their house,” Price said. “I would say there’s a lot more support for the low-scale development part of the plan.”
He added: “Just because we have a plan and even support growth and density, like with tax breaks for the developments, it doesn’t mean we’ll get enough to make a huge difference. Maybe sometimes you just have to throw the spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. Unfortunately, there’s always a little bit of a mess when you do that.”
Colon said an important message that needed to be conveyed to residents was that the city is hearing and listening to the concerns.
“When you sit back and listen to people’s concerns, it’s not necessarily that they’re against growth, or that they’re against zoning. They just really want to make sure that there isn’t a sore thumb sticking out in the middle of their neighborhood,” he said.
“Another concern is just what are the other impacts that are going to happen in my neighborhood, if that growth happens in terms of things like parking, and things feeling like they’re too crowded.”
“When we talk about that concern, again, that’s people really being realistic about what growth looks like sometimes,” Colon said. “In order to have the type of growth that we need to support the number of people that want to live in Tacoma, the reality is we do have to start producing less parking and start building more of those units on high-capacity transit corridors that actually do take people where they need when they need it.”
That concern over parking was heard loud and clear at Thursday’s Northeast Tacoma Neighborhood Council meeting.
“It’s not facing reality, in my humble opinion, if you’re not addressing parking,” one attendee told Barnett.
Colon said that bringing residents along in the process, respecting their concerns while trying to make headway for more attainable housing citywide, can spark better ideas, and ultimately a better city.
“I want them to know that this may be a situation where we can have our cake and eat it, too, and have a best-of-both-worlds situation where we are able to grow in smart, sustainable ways that create vibrant communities throughout Tacoma and still have it done in a way where it’s designed well. It fits into neighborhoods,” Colon said.
Scheidt of the Eastside Neighborhood Council emphasized time was of the essence to make Home in Tacoma a reality, with future generations to face the decisions made this year.
“If we sit on our hands and worry about what we want next to our particular homes, we are doing a real disservice to the future of our city. We need to think 10 or 20 years ahead and what today’s plans will bear. More housing brings better transit and easier access to employment. If we stifle development, we handcuff generations to come after us and housing will be even higher than the incredibly high prices we see currently,” Scheidt told The News Tribune via email.
“Our future generation will never be able to call this amazing city home if we are afraid to grow now.”
MORE INFORMATION
▪ Home In Tacoma details, documents, FAQ, an interactive map, video of the informational meeting held in March and more are at www.cityoftacoma.org/homeintacoma.
▪ Neighborhood councils citywide reached by The News Tribune have either held meetings or are planning to hold meetings in April regarding Home in Tacoma. Check with your local board members for meeting or feedback details.
▪ Citywide public hearing: To be held virtually on Zoom, Wednesday (April 7) starting at 5:30 p.m. Details and link/call-in info to join are on the city’s Home in Tacoma page.
▪ Comments: Send comments on Home in Tacoma by April 9 via email to planning@cityoftacoma.org or mail to Planning Commission, 747 Market St., Room 345, Tacoma, WA 98402
▪ The City Council is scheduled to take action on Home in Tacoma in June-July. From there, according to the city’s FAQ: “City Council action would initiate another round of public engagement to develop the standards, zoning and other implementation steps, currently scheduled to conclude in December 2021.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
