Planning Commission's Recommendation
The Planning Commission's 2015 Annual Amendment Recommendation Packet, dated October 7, 2015, is posted below (full document, followed by six broken-down sections):
Public Comments
The Tacoma 2040 planning efforts have arrived at a milestone. The results are proposed amendments to the City's Comprehensive Plan that have been incorporated into the 2015 Annual Amendment process.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the 2015 Annual Amendment on August 19, 2015, and kept the record open through September 11, 2015 to accept written comments. The Commission is scheduled to deliberate its recommendations to the City Council on October 7, 2015.
All public comments received are in the following document:
And the following documents are pertaining to the August 19th public hearing:
Project Overview
The City of Tacoma amends its Comprehensive Plan on an annual basis as permitted by state law. In addition to these regular amendments, the Growth Management Act (GMA) requires counties and cities to periodically conduct a thorough review of their plans and regulations to bring them in line with any relevant changes in the GMA, and to accommodate updated growth targets. Tacoma last completed a “periodic update” in 2004. RCW 36.70A.130 establishes the review procedures and schedule for Comprehensive Plan amendments and periodic review. The City of Tacoma is scheduled to complete the periodic review on or before June 30 2015.
The focus of this update will be to extend the planning horizon to 2040, comply with regional and state requirements that have changed since 2004, and to implement Council direction and recommendations from current and previous studies to accommodate the growth allocations for the City of Tacoma as adopted in Vision 2040.
Comprehensive Plan Workshops Held in March and April
The City of Tacoma’s Planning and Development Services Department is holding a series of community workshops for the Tacoma Comprehensive Plan update, Tacoma 2040. This plan will serve as a blueprint that is intended to reflect the community's aspirations for the next 25 years. The Comprehensive Plan establishes City policy on numerous topics including land use, neighborhoods, housing, transportation, arts and cultural resources, historic preservation, recreation and open space, downtown, and the environment.
These workshops will be held from 6 to 8 PM in each of the five council districts, and will provide a forum for residents to share what they value in their community and to provide guidance to City staff on how to continue to improve the quality of Tacoma’s neighborhoods.
Background
The Puget Sound region was home to almost 3.6 million people in 2007 and is continuing to grow - due to natural increases in the population, as well as people moving here in pursuit of job opportunities and to enjoy the area’s quality of life. The region has a relatively young and very well-educated labor force in comparison to the nation, which it attracts from other parts of the country and the world.
The region is forecast to reach a population of nearly 5 million people by 2040. King County is expected to receive the largest share of the forecast growth; however, if trends over the last 30 years continue to hold, an increasing share of the growth is likely to be absorbed by Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
As part of the regional growth strategy local jurisdictions are required to plan to accommodate an allocation of future regional population and employment growth. The City of Tacoma must plan for 127,000 additional residents and 97,000 jobs by 2040. This growth will place considerable demands on the City’s existing infrastructure and land supply.
Additional Information
For additional information, please visit www.tacoma2040.com
Staff Contacts