Home in Tacoma’s first phase nears finish line; final proposals to be considered Tuesday
Tacoma City Council on Wednesday whittled down the 16 proposed amendments to the Home in Tacoma housing and rezoning program to 13 elements of one large amendment, with some pushed into the second phase for consideration by the next council in 2022.
The tally now is five map changes, three text changes for Phase 1 and five proposals moved into Phase 2.
Three proposals among the original 16 submitted at council’s study session and meeting of Nov. 23 were rejected.
Ahead of the votes on the proposals Wednesday at a special council meeting, Mayor Victoria Woodards asked how invested members were in certain amendments if those amendments delayed passage of Home in Tacoma into next year and with a new council.
“One of the things we have to consider today is whether or not we’re going to pass Home in Tacoma this year with this current council or whether we’re going to move it into next year,” Woodards said.
In just under two hours, council members voted on which amendments to move forward with Home in Tacoma, in a strong showing that they all wanted a final decision this year.
Council member Chris Beale was the only council member not in attendance.
The Home in Tacoma ordinance is set to encourage more types of housing development in the city by replacing single-family and low-density multifamily zoning with low-scale and mid-scale housing designations.
While single-family homes would be included in both low-scale and mid-scale designations, other types of development also would be allowed, along with changes to allowed density, with actual rezoning issues handled in Phase 2.
Phase 1, which council is considering Tuesday, sets the policy and vision for the plan.
What’s not in plan
The amendments that didn’t make it to the finish line included Deputy Mayor Keith Blocker’s proposal to expand mid-scale along high capacity transit corridors from a half-block to one block.
The Planning Commission recommended two blocks around high-capacity corridors, with IPS recommending a half block. Blocker last week described his amendment as a compromise.
The measure attracted opposition from some members, including council member Lilian Hunter, who saw moving forward with the amendment as undoing the bridge building and outreach to arrive at some consensus among residents.
The argument reflected the polarization of two sides that have responded to Home in Tacoma in forums and written comments.
Hunter said Home in Tacoma “has just been fraught with consternation and high emotions and conspiracy theories about moving something forward under the cloak of darkness during COVID by only doing it virtually.
“When we got to the half block extension off of the high capacity corridors, we got some buy in for that. It wasn’t a full tilt. ... And I think we need to build in some successes there,” Hunter said. “I know council member (Catherine) Ushka and I talked about this and we got some traction with neighborhoods and with communities and also with our retired community — that if we limited just to that first half block off of there then we could get some reluctant support or buy in there.”
Blocker challenged the opposition.
“Our objective is to think about the future, what Tacoma could look like, and I’m just kind of struggling a bit,” Blocker said. “... A lot of the people are concerned and their concerns are valid. The way I see it, many of the changes won’t impact a lot of the people that are are upset about what’s happening now. We’re talking about things and changes that may not happen for 30 maybe 40 years.”
That proposal, along with two proposed amendments from council member Conor McCarthy calling for the removal of mid-scale center transitions and mid-scale transitions around neighborhood commercial nodes, failed on voice votes.
What’s added to plan
Five proposals are in Phase 2 of the project with final decisions on those to come next year with a new council.
Those proposals, as listed by the city as part of Tuesday’s agenda posted on the city’s website Friday, included:
▪ Council member Ushka’s amendment to have a view study performed to examine areas that have not previously received view analysis in the Eastside and South End, such as the areas around South 35th and Ainsworth, East 29th and M, South Fawcett and Wright, and East 32nd and E streets. And, an amendment noting that map adjustments may be made after additional analysis that identifies that map changes could better meet the policy intent.
▪ Council member Beale’s amendment to study potential for future expansion of mid-scale along the South 84th Street corridor, from Interstate 5 to McKinley Avenue, including in and around the Fern Hill Business District, as well as other corridors and areas meeting the intent for midscale.
▪ Council member Robert Thoms’ amendments include an effort to ensure that zoning and standards are consistent with the goals and policies of historic areas including the North Slope Historic District, and an evaluation of the potential for establishing maximum density standards as part of implementing the Home In Tacoma policies.
Earlier, Thoms proposed to change mid-scale along North I Street corridor within the North Slope Historic District to low-scale, and reducing maximum density in low-scale residential to 20 dwelling units per acre. Existing single-family target density is 6 to 12 dwellings per acre. IPS recommended 10-25.
Amended text changes to the comp plan include:
▪ Thoms’ proposal to clarify the policy intent that zoning should be structured to encourage development in areas that don’t already meet the vision in terms of density targets.
▪ Ushka’s proposal to clarify that single-family detached housing is not non-conforming in both low-scale and mid-scale areas.
▪ Council member Kristina Walker’s proposal to discourage demolition in low-scale areas of historic districts in the same manner as in mid-scale areas.
Map changes included in final package and the council members who proposed them in parentheses:
▪ Switch mid‐scale corridor from North Union (21st to 26th St.) to North 21st Street and Proctor (council member John HInes)
▪ Change mid-scale west of South Jackson Avenue to low‐scale (Hines)
▪ Change mid‐scale along North 26th Street. between Proctor & Westgate Centers to low‐scale (McCarthy)
▪ Switch mid‐scale from South Yakima to Thompson (South 40th to 48th Street) (Ushka)
▪ Change mid‐scale to low‐scale along the eastern boundary of Lower Pacific Mixed‐Use Center (Ushka)
Woodards, at the end of Wednesday’s meeting, reiterated the work isn’t over.
“We’re kind of at a point right now where we are in the midst of an affordability crisis,” she said. “And if we don’t get our arms around adding more housing to our city, then a lot of people who decide to work at our city won’t be able to live in our city.”
The final reading of Home in Tacoma ordinance is set for Tuesday (Dec. 7). More details on the overall program are available at cityoftacoma.org/homeintacoma.
This story was originally published December 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
