The South Tacoma groundwater aquifer system serves as a significant source of drinking water for the City of Tacoma. The South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District (STGPD) protects the aquifer with requirements on the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous substances by businesses located within this area. As mandated by the GMA and in accordance with City Council guidance, we are currently in the process of reviewing the City Code to determine if adjustments are needed to further protect the South Tacoma aquifer system.

Sound Transit is investing in better walking, bicycling, and bus facilities in South Tacoma. Filling gaps such as missing sidewalks, ADA ramps, or protected bike lanes, will make it easier to get to South Tacoma Station and Sounder train service, as well as destinations around the neighborhood.

Projected to be completed by August 2024, the survey will record approximately 200 buildings that are close to, or more than, 50 years of age. There is little existing data on historic properties within the South Tacoma Mixed Use Center, and any data gathered through the survey will inform the City’s planning, economic development, outreach, and education efforts. 

The City of Tacoma Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program works to make it safer, more convenient, and fun for K-12 students and families to walk, bike, and actively roll to school through targeted infrastructure improvements, walking and biking safety education, and encouragement programs. This project will improve the school crossing by adding a raised crosswalk, Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), and lighting, as well as protected and buffered bike lanes and connect to the Scott Pierson Trail.

Many Tacoma residents are more than a 10-minute walk from a public park. Six years ago, Metro Parks adopted its Strategic Master Plan, including the goal that every resident within the Park District have access to a park or open space within a 10-minute walk from their residence. The System & Strategic Plan is being updated to guide the next 6 years of development of the park and recreation system. 

The Manitou Annexation Area is a 37-acre unincorporated Pierce County neighborhood located on the southwest corner of the city, near Lakewood Drive W. and 66th Street W. On December 12, 2023 the Tacoma City Council passed Ordinance 29894, which set an effective date for the annexation of the Manitou area from unincorporated Pierce County to the City of Tacoma on April 1, 2024. A Community Information Session is scheduled for February 10th, 2024 11:30 A.M -2:30 P.M at STAR Center. 

Work is underway on Home In Tacoma - Phase 2. This phase will implement the City's new housing growth strategy through zoning, standards, affordability and anti-displacement steps, and actions to support housing supply, affordability, and choice. In early 2024, Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing and make recommendations for Home in Tacoma Phase 2 policy.

Everyone in Tacoma deserves a city that keeps us safe, lets us live sustainably with our land and water, and contributes to our physical, social, and economic health. Tacoma’s Comprehensive Plan is an important tool to achieve those goals. You can be part of shaping these decisions during the once-in-a-decade update to Tacoma’s Comprehensive Plan, which is happening now through 2025. Opportunities to share your thoughts are coming soon and will include activities like surveys, events, workshops, and community meetings.

The Community Safety Action Strategy will create a comprehensive, long-term approach to community safety and is an important part of continued efforts to achieve racial justice and equity in Tacoma. We have heard from Tacoma residents that safety means more than just policing and crime enforcement, it’s also being connected to neighbors, having safe streets, clean neighborhoods, having places for youth to play, and supporting families and businesses. For these reasons, the new Office of Strategy is leading the development of the Community Safety Action Strategy. This strategy will bring the community together to define safety, create a shared vision, and develop a coordinated holistic approach.

In 2018, the City of Tacoma received a grant to address tree canopy cover, access to green space, and positive health outcomes in the Tacoma Mall neighborhood.  As directed by past engagement efforts, the project team focused the scope of this grant on tree planting and water quality improvements. In 2021, these efforts resulted in Greening Research in Tacoma (GRIT): a collaboration between the Tacoma Tree Foundation, The Nature Conservancy in Washington, the University of Washington, and the City of Tacoma aiming to understand more about the intersection of human health and increased greening in South Tacoma.