Developers could build apartments, shops, and offices across Tacoma with zero required parking spaces under a proposed amendment to the city's zoning code that cleared a key environmental review on July 20.

The City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services Department published a Preliminary Determination of Nonsignificance for the parking code overhaul, meaning the city found no significant environmental harm from dropping every minimum off-street parking requirement in Tacoma Municipal Code Chapter 13.06.

If adopted, the change would apply to every neighborhood, from Hilltop to the North End to South Tacoma.

The proposal does not cap how much parking a developer can build. It does not touch on-street parking rules.

What the Planning Commission decided

The Tacoma Planning Commission directed staff to pursue the broader reform at its March 4 meeting, choosing "Option B" over a narrower alternative that would have updated the code only to meet state mandates. Senior Planner Maryam Moeinian is the lead staff contact on the project.

Four Washington state bills — SB 5184, HB 1183, HB 1491 (all enacted in 2025), and SB 6015 (enacted in 2024) — require Tacoma to overhaul its parking regulations by January 2027. The city could have done the minimum. Instead, the Planning Commission opted for a full repeal of parking minimums.

The numbers

City staff told the Planning Commission that one standard parking stall takes up about 140 square feet of land, enough space for roughly three studio apartments. In a city where 48% of renters were cost-burdened according to 2020 Census data cited in the staff analysis — with rates topping 65% in Central Tacoma, South Tacoma, and the South End — staff framed the reform as a tool to free land for housing.

Still, about 91% of Tacoma households own at least one vehicle, according to the same staff analysis. And permitting staff noted that developers frequently build parking even where it isn't required, citing market demand. Several large apartment projects in Tacoma's downtown — The Rook, The Lex, Jefferson Flats, and Moraine — all provided off-street parking voluntarily after the city eliminated downtown minimums in 2012. A forthcoming project on the 100 block of Tacoma Avenue proposes 146 units with 105 parking spaces despite no requirement.

What happens next and how to weigh in

The Planning Commission holds a public hearing on Wednesday, August 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., first-floor council chambers. Residents can also join via Zoom (meeting ID: 844 1662 4153) or by phone at (253) 215-8782.

Written comments on the environmental determination or the proposed code amendments are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, August 7, via email to [email protected]. More project details are posted at tacoma.gov/parkingcodeupdate.

The environmental determination becomes final Thursday, August 14, unless the city modifies it based on public input. A December 2025 Planning Commission presentation projected City Council review between August and October 2026, with a council public hearing in September and final adoption in October. The city has not confirmed that timeline still holds.

In a July 2 news release, the city characterized community feedback gathered so far as prioritizing pedestrian and cyclist safety, more green space, and walkable neighborhoods. The draft changes do not prohibit parking — they let property owners decide how much to provide.