Overview and Public Comment Period

January 2024

Agenda

• Planning Commission public hearing process (Feb.5 to March 8, 2024)
• Background
• What’s in the HIT packet
• How people can learn more
• How to leave Public Comments
• Next steps
• Commission will use comments to finalize recommendations to Council
• City Council public hearing and decision

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Revised project schedule

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Ongoing engagement throughout

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PRIOR WORK

• HIT 1 policy direction
• HIT 2 Round 1 & 2 engagement
• 2023 legislative direction
• Frequent Council guidance

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Tacoma’s housing rules are changing

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Tacoma's 1953 Zoning Code

About ¾ of our housing land supply is currently zoned single-family

Marketwatch.com

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Overview 

• Home In Tacoma is changing residential zoning city-wide to allow more housing types to be built
• City staff has worked with the community and has a draft package that includes: 
• New “Urban Residential” zones
• Middle Housing types and design standards
• Tree planting and protection requirements
• Reduced parking requirements
• Bonuses to promote affordability and building retention 
• Strategies for homeownership (Unit Lots)

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What areas are included in HIT?

• In 2021, City Council changed “Single-family” to…
• “Low-scale Residential” or,
• “Mid-scale Residential”
• Phase 2 implements that & other policy direction
• Mostly applies to Low and Mid-scale (UR Districts)
• General standards apply citywide

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What’s in the public review package

• Summaries
• Zoning Code track changes edits
• Maps (interactive online versions)
• Draft EIS
• Technical memos (market analysis, site planning exercise, engagement summary)

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Summaries

• Overview 
• Summaries 
• Zoning
• Housing types
• Parking
• Landscaping and amenity space 
• Unit Lot Subdivisions
• Affordability and building retention

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What factors affected the proposed zoning framework?

Meet Tacoma's newly adopted housing growth vision

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Use development scale as organizing characteristic​

Prioritize walkability, transit, cycling and complete neighborhoods

Reflect neighborhood patterns such as yards, building scale, height ​​​

Create predictable, flexible regulations and requirements

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2023 State legislative direction also shaped the approach

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Housing Types

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Follows Comp Plan, HIT 1 & HB 1110

• Low-scale Residential = UR-1 or UR-2
• Mid-scale Residential = UR-3

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UR-2 in walkable areas

• 1/8-mile of “complete neighborhood features”
• 1/4-mile of “major transit stations” (per HB 1110)
• Existing PRD’s (outside of Parks/Open Space designations)

Urban Residential Zones

FINAL EDITS IN PROGRESS

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How proposed UR Zones work

• Baseline: Allowed “by right”
• Bonus 1: 2 units/20% affordable or, building retained with infill
• Bonus 2: All units more deeply affordable, no fee in lieu, CUP required

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Standards more flexible with higher zones & through bonuses

*Density assumes a typical 6000 sf lot; 4 units + 2 bonus allowed on pre-existing lots

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Parking requirements

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Adjusted to make space for housing, promote transportation choices

• Reduced to 1 - 0.5 spaces per dwelling, additional reductions for bonus units, ADUs
• RPA: None (except accessible)
• ½-mile from major transit stations, transit routes #1, 2 
• Applies only to UR Zones
• Driveway widths reduced, more compact stalls allowed
• Bike parking: Long-term required for every unit, standards updates to best practices

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Tree requirements

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Zone: UR-2 Tree Credits: Equivalent to 30% lot area

Zone: UR-1 Tree Credits: Equivalent to 35% lot area

Zone: UR-3 Tree Credits: Equivalent to 25% lot area

• Proposed Revisions to Landscaping Standards (General / All Zones) ​
• Simplify code, promote tree health (ex., tree credits approach, soil volumes, tree spacing)
• Proposed Revisions to UR District Standards​
• Tree planting requirements (street trees, onsite trees)
• Tree Retention requirements (protects mature trees,)​
• Flexibility (reductions for “bonus” projects, fee in lieu in some cases)

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Residential Target Areas 

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Authorizes use of Multifamily Tax Exemption Program (with affordability) in more areas

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• Mixed-Use Centers
• Neighborhood Commercial Nodes
• Mid-scale Residential areas
• Multifamily High-density areas

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TMC Changes Guide

• 1.37 Transfer of Development Rights Program Administrative Code: Minor change for consistency with UR zoning
• 1.39 Affordable Housing Bonuses Administrative Code: Updates affordability bonuses process and requirements
• 13.01.010 Definitions: Adds and updates terms to address HIT package (middle housing, household, major transit, etc.)
• 13.04 Platting and Subdivisions: Adds Unit Lot Subdivision standards, removes Planned Residential Districts (PRDs) 
• 13.05.010 Land Use Permits and Procedures: Updates CUPs - removes Special Review District, Infill Pilot; updates Special Needs Housing, reuse of Historic Structures, Affordable Housing Bonus 

13.06 Zoning

• 13.06.010 General Provisions: Updates zoning map and general zoning standards
• 13.06.020 Residential Districts: Replaces current zoning with proposed UR Districts and UR standards
• 13.06.030 Commercial Districts/13.06.040 Mixed-Use Centers/13.06.060 Industrial: Consistency updates 
• 13.06.070 Overlay Districts: Updates re: modifications to existing PRDs, Airport Compatibility District min. lot size
• 13.06.080 Special Use Standards: Updates for ADUs, residential businesses, short-term rentals, special needs housing; removes Cottage Housing 
• 13.06.090 Site Development Standards:  Updates landscaping, parking, pedestrian and bike, other standards
• 13.06.100 Building Design Standards:  Adds HIT middle housing standards, re-organizes other residential standards 
• 13.12 Environmental Code: Increases threshold for SEPA review; adds traffic, archaeologic and soils standards
• 13.17 Residential Target Areas: Adds new areas to the RTA 

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Site planning exercise – does everything fit? 

• Tested 6 scenarios (typical lots, upper end of densities)
• Evaluated HIT package + proposed access and utilities standards changes
• Consulted with Tacoma Permit Advisory Group

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EXAMPLES

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Site planning – outcomes

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The package generally works, though it can be a tight fit

• Added standards flexibility for bonus projects (trees, setbacks, amenity space)
• Preparing package of utilities & access standards updates
• Monitor outcomes + study more options

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Not every site can develop to max densities (due to site conditions like soils, trees, slopes, lack of infrastructure)

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EXAMPLE

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Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Purpose 

• To inform decision-makers and the public regarding potential impacts and what we could do about them

Methodology

• Scope set publicly in 2023 to study 9 topics
• 1+ year of analysis and expert input
• Studied a range of growth scenarios (existing, low and high)

Community ask

• Did we get it right?

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Conclusions

• HIT will have impacts
• Positive: Housing + land use goals; efficient use of land/infrastructure; new standards in HIT package
• Negative: Site + infrastructure impacts; demand for services
• Overall, we have tools to address impacts. The EIS highlights opportunities to do more,​ such as…
• Plants & Animals: Proactive tree planting​
• Water Resources: Critical Areas Code ​
• Air Quality/GHG’s: Construction & Demolition Code
• Land Use: Monitor & adjust to pace of growth
• Housing: Anti-Displacement Strategy
• Transportation: Impact fees
• Public Services/Utilities: System dev. charges​​
• Parks & Recreation: Pedestrian safety investments​​
• Historic, Cultural & Archaeological: Demolition Code

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Informing Community 

• Online
• City of Tacoma website
• Social PinPoint- Engagement forum captures comments by topic
• Full code online
• Environmental Impact Statement
• Interactive Map
• One page Summary Documents

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How to get involved

• Tuesday, February 20, 6-7:30 p.m. on Zoom
• Thursday, February 22, 6-7:30 p.m. at Bates Technical College South Campus, 2201 S. 78th St.
• Wednesday, February 28, 6-7:30 p.m. at University of Puget Sound Upper Marshall Hall, 1500 N. Warner St.
• Saturday, March 2, 2-4 p.m. at Eastside Community Center Social Hall, 1721 E 56th St.

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Mailer coming soon!

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How to leave comments

• Join us on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. at the Planning Commission Public Hearing
• In person at City Council Chambers, 747 Market St.
• On Zoom at www.zoom.us/j/84416624153
• Dial In: +1 253 215 8782; Webinar ID: 844 1662 4153
• Provide written comments to planning@cityoftacoma.org or mail to: Planning Commission, 747 Market Street Room 345, Tacoma, WA 98402
• Leave comments on our interactive online map (available Feb. 5^th)
• Online Engagement Forum (Social PinPoint)

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Thank you!

Thanks for helping more people find a home in Tacoma!

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