Submitted by Morgan Alexander.
Link to full study with graphics: According to the City of Tacoma: “the City must plan for 127,000 additional residents and 97,000 jobs by 2040.”[1]
Development of new housing in the City of Tacoma has lagged behind that of Pierce County and other nearby cities. Tacoma’s annual growth rate from 2021 to 2022 was .78%. By comparison, the City of Puyallup (1.17%), Pierce County (1.21%), Spokane (1.21%), and Seattle (1.30%) all had higher rates of growth.[2] What was once a statistical footnote has snowballed into a full-blown housing crisis.
However, recent analysis indicates that housing for more than 6,000 households could be built using government-owned vacant and underutilized land in downtown alone.
Using data obtained from the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer’s Office[3], this study focused on an area between South 4th and 21st streets along Tacoma Ave South. Public agencies including the University of Washington, the Pierce County Government, the City of Tacoma, and the Tacoma Public School District hold a significant amount of vacant and underutilized properties in this area. Nearly half a million square feet of prime buildable land sits underutilized.
With an assessed value of $30 million, the government agencies that own these properties pay no taxes. This is critical funding that could be benefiting the community by funding schools, emergency services, and other programs such as Percent for the Arts. Additionally, the long term sequestering of prime real estate puts more pressure on taxpayers, who must subsidize the cost of public services to these properties.
If the City of Tacoma is to stay on track for absorbing 127,000 new residents by 2040, government agencies must get serious about their role in making more housing available by letting go of vacant and underutilized properties.
There is one caveat that comes with the estimated potential of housing units: the City of Tacoma must update its downtown zoning code.
Currently, there is a mix of zoning that has created odd combinations where on one side of the street there could be a maximum building height of 400 feet. However, across the street there is a maximum building height of 100 feet on one corner and 90 feet on the other corner. The City of Tacoma through its outdated zoning codes could be making the housing crisis worse by maintaining arbitrary zoning codes. The difference in potential housing is dramatic – ranging from 2,000 units based on existing zoning to over 6,000 units based on revised zoning codes.
Data Analysis
For the purpose of this study, we focused our attention on properties on and near South Tacoma Avenue from South 4th Street to South 21st Street. Within this parameter, two different areas with high concentrations of publicly owned vacant and underutilized land emerged:
One area is near the Pierce County Courthouse building with a bulk of the parcels owned by Pierce County which were acquired 20 years ago for the purpose of building a new County Administration campus. The project remains unfunded.
The second area is further south along Tacoma Avenue with a bulk of the property owned by the University of Washington and is in the footprint for an unfunded future expansion of University of Washington Tacoma. Many of these parcels have now sat vacant and unused for over 30 years. The initial vision for UWT was that it would have a campus similar to that of University of Washington Seattle and have a mix of student housing and instructional facilities. The reality of the market however has led to the UWT campus developing for commuters with prime buildable land being used for parking lots.
No kidding. I have been dying this for the last ten years. If the city built and paid taxes on it then also collected the rent it would go a long way to funding schools police fire and reduce the homeless. Duh. The folks voted in and not the sharpest group with finance and problem solving.
Absolutely not, the government has done nothing but hoard these property’s for to long not gaining anything. People are homeless because the local government agencies and bank institutions make it impossible for citizens to own any of the land. Let the people buy the land and restore America’s right to own land and stop taking peoples land. The housing authorities are just a scam any ways.
I agree, government is the problem.
Pierce County services need to be accessible to the public and that means parking. The City Center is not ideal. Convenient for government but not for those utilizing services. The Annex and Health Department are more user friendly. With public transit and free parking Satellites work.
Is housing the best use for that public land or is this a developer’s dream?
The UW has expanded slowly but could be encouraged to develop their land for its intended use. Tacoma has benefitted from having the branch campus.
What about developing vacant privately owned land? It seems many tax breaks have been utilized in the past to encourage growth.
On a personal level I would love to see all the rundown vacant properties used rather than tearing down perfectly good buildings and properties when already have vacant and unkept properties throughout our city, especially since covid. This matter is especially close to my heart as I am being forced out of my home of 47 years in Lakewood because it has been rezoned for multipurpose use. My neighborhood is finally a nice one as all the newcomers have totally restored their old homes with the exception of a Section 8 apartment building in back of me. These are older homes that as I said now they would be considered classic and part of Lakewoods past which should be remembered, especially the property that I live on. It is one and a third acre with a two-story cobblestone home on it which I have put my own money into to remodel and Landscape the area. My home was built by Nelson Witt who was of the early settlers in Lakeview when it was nothing but a prairie. My home was built in 1935. I will have to just walk away from it and everything that is mine because the new owner plans to build a 22 – unit multi-purpose family on this property. Not only does this break my heart beyond belief and leave me homeless, but all my neighbors properties that they have spent so much to refurbish is in vain. They all plan to move before it all starts, but they will also lose everything that they have put into their homes. We are all aware of lakewood’s plan to eventually turn this area into a bustling hub adjacent to the train station. It would be nice if it could wait or use the unkept and dirty properties that are falling to the ground around here. It seems to be contrary to the cities goals to chase the way the positive into other cities or make them homeless.