(Definitions. Ord. 25789 § 3, 1995-11-21; Ord. 26386 § 39, 1999-03-23; Ord. 27466 § 43, 2006-01-17; Ord. 27710 Ex. A, 2008-04-29; Ord. 28109 Ex. O, 2012-12-04; repealed and relocated to § 13.01.170 by Ord. 28613 Ex. G, 2019-09-24)
A. 
Criteria. Following a public hearing, the City Council may, in its sole discretion, designate one or more residential target areas. Each designated target area must meet the following criteria, as determined by the City Council:
1. 
As outlined in subsection C below, the target area is located within a designated mixed-use center, a designated Neighborhood Commercial Node along Transit, an Existing Mid-Scale Residential on Corridors, or a site that is approved by the City Council for a Development Regulatory Agreement meeting the provisions of TMC § 13.05.050B.6 and also approved by the City Council as a residential target area;
2. 
The target area lacks sufficient available, desirable, and convenient residential housing to meet the needs of the public who would likely live in the residential target area if desirable, attractive, and livable places were available; and
3. 
The providing of additional housing opportunity in the target area will assist in achieving the following purposes:
a. 
Encourage increased residential opportunities within the target area; or
b. 
Stimulate the construction of new multi-unit housing and the rehabilitation of existing vacant and underutilized buildings for multi-unit housing.
In designating a residential target area, the City Council may also consider other factors, including, but not limited to: whether additional housing in the target area will attract and maintain a significant increase in the number of permanent residents; whether an increased residential population will help alleviate detrimental conditions and social liability in the target area; and whether an increased residential population in the target area will help to achieve the planning goals mandated by the Growth Management Act under RCW 36.70A.020. The City Council may, by ordinance, amend or rescind the designation of a residential target area at any time pursuant to the same procedure as set forth in this chapter for original designation.
B. 
Target area standards and guidelines. For each designated residential target area, the City Council shall adopt basic requirements for both new construction and rehabilitation supported by the City’s property tax exemption for multi-unit housing program, including the application procedures specified in Section 6A.110.020. The City Council may also adopt guidelines including the following:
1. 
Requirements that address demolition of existing structures and site utilization; and
2. 
Building requirements that may include elements addressing parking, height, density, environmental impact, public benefit features, compatibility with the surrounding property, and such other amenities as will attract and keep permanent residents and will properly enhance the livability of the residential target area.
The required amenities shall be relative to the size of the proposed project and the tax benefit to be obtained.
C. 
Designated target areas.
1. 
The proposed boundaries of the “residential target areas” include the boundaries of the 16 mixed-use centers listed below and as indicated on the Mixed-use Centers Map of the Comprehensive Plan and in the Comprehensive Plan legal descriptions which are incorporated herein by reference and on file in the City Clerk’s Office.
The designated target areas do not include those areas within the boundary of the University of Washington Tacoma campus facilities master plan (per RCW 84.14.060).
MIXED-USE CENTER
CENTER TYPE
ORIGINALLY ADOPTED
South Tacoma Way
Neighborhood
November 21, 1995
Downtown Tacoma (including Stadium and Hilltop)
Regional Growth Center
November 21, 1995
Proctor
Neighborhood
November 21, 1995
Tacoma Mall
Regional Growth Center
November 21, 1995
Westgate
Crossroads
November 21, 1995
Lincoln
Neighborhood
November 21, 1995
6th Avenue
Neighborhood
November 21, 1995
Tacoma Central
Crossroads
November 21, 1995
Upper Pacific
Crossroads
November 21, 1995
Upper Portland Avenue
Crossroads
November 21, 1995
James Center
Crossroads
November 21, 1995
Lower Portland Avenue
Crossroads
January 16, 1996
Lower Pacific
Crossroads
December 11, 2007
McKinley
Neighborhood
December 11, 2007
Narrows
Neighborhood
December 11, 2007
Point Ruston
Crossroads
July 1, 2014
2. 
Neighborhood commercial nodes. Areas designated Neighborhood Commercial on the Comprehensive Plan, Urban Form Chapter: Future Land Use Map which are over 20,000 square feet in size and located on a transit route.
3. 
Areas designated Multifamily High-Density on the Comprehensive Plan, Urban Form Chapter: Future Land Use Map.
4. 
Areas designated Urban Residential 3 (UR-3) on the official Zoning Map.
Map: Residential Target Areas
(Ord. 25789 § 3, 1995-11-21; Ord. 25823 § 1, 1996-01-16; Ord. 27663 Ex. A, 2007-12-11; Ord. 27710 Ex. A, 2008-04-29; Ord. 27813 Ex. J, 2009-06-30 (South Tacoma Mixed Use Center amended, Ex. J is for illustrative purposes); Ord. 27818 Ex. B, 2009-07-28; Ord. 28222 Ex. D, 2014-05-13; Ord. 28230 Ex. H, 2014-07-22; Ord. 28376 Ex. E, 2016-08-16; Ord. 28798 Ex. B, 2021-12-14; Ord. 28986 Ex. D, 2024-11-19)
A. 
The application, review, and decision guidelines and procedures for multi-unit housing property tax exemptions are contained in TMC Title 6, Tax and License Code, Section 6A.110.
(Ord. 25789 § 3, 1995-11-21; Ord. 26386 § 40, 1999-03-23; Ord. 26492 § 1, 1999-08-10; Ord. 27321 § 1, 2005-03-01; Ord. 27466 § 44, 2006-01-17; Ord. 27710 Ex. A, 2008-04-29; reenacted by Ord. 27818 Ex. B, 2009-07-28; Ord. 28986 Ex. D, 2024-11-19)