Permit applications for new housing in Tacoma's formerly single-family neighborhoods surged in the first year after the city's zoning overhaul took effect, with proposed units jumping 62% over the five-year average, according to city data released June 19.

The number of permit applications themselves rose 39%, and the average number of units per application climbed 16%, signaling modestly denser projects across the city.

The Tacoma City Council enacted the Home in Tacoma Phase 2 rezones in late 2024, replacing traditional single-family zoning with three new Urban Residential zones effective February 1, 2025. Under the new rules, property owners can build at least four units on any residential lot, with six or eight units allowed near transit, parks, schools, and growth centers like Lincoln and McKinley.

Roughly 40% of new permits are concentrated in the North End and Eastside. By unit count, the Eastside leads at 25%, followed by the West End (21%) and South End (18%).

The permit mix has shifted. Applications for duplexes, townhouses, and accessory dwelling units are up, while permits for new single-family homes have dropped.

Permits for larger multifamily developments also declined compared to the prior two years, a trend city officials linked to a broader market slowdown hitting bigger projects hardest.

Tacoma's Comprehensive Plan sets a target of 59,052 new housing units by 2050, requiring an average annual growth rate of 1.5%. From 2017 to 2023, the city averaged just 0.8% annual growth. The one-year permit data marks the first post-rezone measurement point against that long-term target.

Brian Boudet, Interim Assistant Director of Tacoma Planning and Development Services, said the data reflects small-scale builders responding to the new rules even as the broader development market slows.

"While it's early, there's encouraging signs here," Boudet said at a spring 2026 City Council study session. "We're seeing local developers work through the process and build units and styles that we haven't necessarily seen."

Councilmember Sandesh Sadalge, who commented on the results at the same study session, called Home in Tacoma "a complete rewrite of all residential zoning in the city" and one tool to address the housing shortage the council identified in 2021.

The city has not announced a date for its next formal progress report on Home in Tacoma outcomes.