How is the implementation of residential zoning changes going in Tacoma?

The city of Tacoma loosened restrictions on what kinds of houses can be built in its neighborhoods. Now, people can build duplexes, triplexes and other multi-unit dwellings in areas that used to be only for single-family homes. 

The city’s Home in Tacoma initiative was implemented to help address the region’s housing crisis. The flexibility of more units on single lots is meant to vary the kinds of homes people can rent or buy. By doing so, the city hopes that will decrease costs. The new zoning regulations went into effect on Feb. 1.

“By just increasing the supply and the choice and availability of housing, the intent overall is to slow down the rapid increasing rate of housing (costs),” said Brian Boudet, who manages the city’s long range planning division. 

Over the last few months, the city has received about 80 permit applications. Those would equate to about 200 new housing units. Of those, Boudet estimated that 5% to 10% are for affordable housing units. 

The applications are for mostly duplexes and townhouses, as well as some accessory dwelling units, Boudet said. 

Justin Goroch,  founder of Axea Civil, an engineering and land development consultant company in Tacoma, said he thinks the regulations passed with Home in Tacoma were a good start. But he also thinks there’s been a bit of a slower start. 

“I’ll admit, I thought there was going to be a lot more development possibilities and a lot more interest, and that has not been the case,” Goroch said. 

He said his company has worked on a handful of projects that are now allowed due to the zoning changes. 

Boudet said there’s a learning curve for the development community to understand what is and isn’t allowed under the new regulations. The city hosted a pre-application process in December to help those seeking to develop understand the new regulations and how they could use them.

New developments are spread out across the city’s neighborhoods, Boudet said. The North Tacoma area is seeing the most, with South and Central Tacoma falling closely behind. 

Some people have expressed concern over the possibility of added density to their neighborhoods. 

“Certainly, for some folks, if you’re living in a traditional single-family neighborhood, a triplex or a fourplex feels like a lot of density next to you. What is high density is based, at some level, on your perspective,” Boudet said, acknowledging these concerns. 

Cathie Urwin has lived in South Tacoma for a little over a decade. She said she does still have concerns about how additional density will impact things such as green space, parking and air quality in her neighborhood, which she said already face barriers. The city has shown that South Tacoma has less green space and poorer health outcomes than other parts of the city. 

“Some of those areas don’t have as much tree canopy or open green spaces and have been developed in ways that have not preserved that,” Urwin said.

She said some of the older homes in her neighborhood have mature trees that she fears could be lost to development.

There are requirements for new builds to include green space in the code, but Urwin said those protections don’t go far enough. 

There’s a possibility that Tacomans could start seeing some construction because of the new allowances as early as the fall, but it’s more likely things will start progressing in early 2026, Boudet said.

“There’s still just a lot of uncertainty in the economy right now, and that’s certainly affecting the development community,” he said.