City of Tacoma Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Tacoma City Council moves forward with zoning changes

By Lauren Gallup November 21, 2024

Old homes in a denser neighborhood near Tacoma's busy Sixth Avenue.

The next phase of Tacoma’s attempts to address housing shortages will soon be implemented, as the Tacoma City Council has voted unanimously to adopt the second phase of the Home in Tacoma zoning package. The package of changes to city zoning standards aims to create more opportunities for different types of housing across the city, including by allowing more units to be Read More

Next phase of housing, zoning changes being considered in Tacoma

By Lauren Gallup September 27, 2024

A bright yellow and black sign is placed in a front yard. Some of the text, in red letters, reads: "Save our homes and tree canopy."

In season four, episode 19 of the sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” actor Bradley Whitford plays a city council member in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Whitford tells Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, “City council isn't about making everyone happy. In fact, every decision you make is going to make a lot of people very unhappy.” Right now, the Tacoma City Read More

Service changes begin March 31 for Pierce Transit, lack of funding means no new routes

By Lauren Gallup March 27, 2024

Pierce Transit's new Stream Community Line will run along Route 1 on weekdays, during morning and afternoon peak commute times. (Credit: Pierce Transit)

This weekend, big service changes will go into effect for Pierce County’s public transportation system. While Pierce Transit makes service changes throughout the year, Rebecca Japhet, who handles communications for the public transit operator, said these service changes are the biggest the company has made in seven years. Read More

Tacoma’s new tenant protections now in effect

By Lauren Gallup December 11, 2023

Tacoma labor leaders celebrate the passage of Citizens’ Initiative Measure No. 1 at a press conference on Friday, Dec. 8. (Credit: Lauren Gallup / NWPB)

Since Tacoma voters approved a ballot initiative that introduces new regulations called the Landlord Fairness Code to the Tacoma Municipal Code, there’s been a lot of questions about the initiative. The City of Tacoma has answered some about the process and what happens next. The Landlord Fairness Code was adopted into the Tacoma Municipal Code and is a city law as of Read More

Tacomans deciding on progressive renter protections

By Lauren Gallup November 13, 2023

Zev Cook prepares to address the crowd of supporters gathered at Real Art Tacoma on election night. (Credit: Lauren Gallup / NWPB)

After Tuesday night’s general election, Tacoma’s Citizens’ Initiative Measure No. 1 was failing by a slight margin. Still, the mood at Real Art Tacoma, where supporters of Measure 1 and City Council candidate Jamika Scott gathered Tuesday night was electric. Read More

Tacoma is facing a $10-12 million funding gap for homeless shelters

By Lauren Gallup October 11, 2023

Tacoma' old City Hall building. (Courtesy: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The City of Tacoma is facing a gap in funding, a gap equal to paying for 307 beds in emergency shelters set up across Tacoma. Tacoma and other area municipalities have recently enacted restrictions or bans on homeless encampments. Read More

Controversial Tacoma warehouse proposal moves forward

By Lauren Gallup October 10, 2023

The currently vacant site that developer Bridge Industrial is seeking to use for an industrial warehouse in South Tacoma. / Courtesy of Michelle Mood.

The City of Tacoma hearing examiner has upheld the city’s decision to issue a development permit for a mega-warehouse in South Tacoma. The permit decision was appealed by Seattle nonprofit EarthJustice, on behalf of the South Tacoma Neighborhood Council and 350 Tacoma, which argued that the city and developer hadn’t adequately analyzed the environmental impacts of the Read More

Funding for some Tacoma homeless shelters reduced

By Lauren Gallup June 26, 2023

The downtown campus of the Tacoma Rescue Mission, who's men's and women's shelters are set to be at capacity July 1 due to budget cuts. // Lauren Gallup NWPB

This year’s funding for Tacoma Rescue Mission homeless shelters has decreased. That means next month, the mission will have to decrease the number of shelter spaces available. As of June 23, the mission had 24 spaces available in their women’s shelter and 39 in their men’s shelter. But by July 1, those will go away, according to the mission. Read More

Partidarios de declaración de derechos de inquilinos se hacen oír en Tacoma

By Lauren Gallup June 2, 2023

Supporters of the tenant bill of rights in Tacoma.

Organizadores del grupo de defensa de los derechos de los inquilinos Tacoma Para Todos, y quienes los apoyan, se reunieron con pancartas y megáfonos hace unas semanas para mostrarse en favor de una iniciativa, conocida coloquialmente como una declaración de derechos de los inquilinos, que Tacoma Para Todos espera poner en la boleta electoral para los votantes este otoño.Read More

Supporters of tenant rights bill make their voices heard at city hall

By Lauren Gallup May 26, 2023

On May 25, a number of supporters of the Tacoma For All initiative for tenant protections, rallied in front of the City Hall building. Photo by Lauren Gallup.

Organizers from the housing justice group Tacoma For All and their supporters gathered with signs and megaphones Thursday afternoon to show their support of the initiative, known colloquially as a tenant bill of rights, which Tacoma For All hopes to get on the ballot for voters this fall. The rally took place before a meeting of the city’s Community Vitality and Safety Read More