Tacoma City Council Adopts 2026 Annual Code Amendments

~ On June 16, 2026, the Tacoma City Council made a significant decision that will impact the city's development and zoning standards. The council voted to adopt Substitute Ordinance No. 29108, officially enacting the 2026 Annual Amendment to the One Tacoma Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulatory Code.

This approved ordinance aims to update local development and zoning standards in compliance with newly enacted Washington state legislative mandates. It also addresses feedback received from community members, making it a crucial step towards maintaining neighborhood growth.

District 1 Council Member John Hines emphasized the importance of aligning local regulations with state mandates. "Ensuring clarity and consistency in our municipal code is crucial for maintaining neighborhood growth," he stated. He also expressed his satisfaction with the annual code updates reflecting input from the community and acknowledged the hard work put in by the City's Planning Commission and Planning and Development Services Department.

The annual amendment process takes place every year to assess regulatory updates, ensure local files remain current, correct technical errors, and implement strategies for growth management. The adopted 2026 package focuses on four primary areas: pre-annexation planning for the McKinley area, updates to special needs housing and shelter standards, technical plan and code clean-ups, and state-mandated legislative amendments for daycare facilities and binding site plans.

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These updates have been carefully designed to expand access to early childhood care, clarify guidelines for housing providers, and protect natural assets while keeping pace with statewide standards. One of these updates includes eliminating previous enrollment capacity limits for daycare facilities within Urban Residential zones (UR-1, UR-2, and UR-3) in compliance with Senate Bill 5509. Additionally, conditional use permit requirements have been removed for these facilities while a conditional use permit is now required for daycare facilities within M-1 Light Industrial Districts to ensure safety measures are met.

In response to state legislation (House Bill 2266 / Senate Bill 2266), the City has also updated its standards for Shelter, Transitional, Emergency, and Permanent (STEP) supportive housing. This includes adjusting local zoning to remove restrictions that are more stringent than standard lodging or residential development within the zone. The City has also expanded the public notification radius to 500 feet and established a mandatory public meeting requirement for shelter permits.

The substitute ordinance also addresses environmental concerns by including text clarifications to code references for the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District. These technical edits direct permit applicants to review overlay standards, ensuring natural resources are protected without expanding use restrictions beyond their intended boundaries.

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Furthermore, the ordinance establishes low-scale residential land use designations and Urban Residential-1 (UR-1) zoning for three parcels within the McKinley Potential Annexation Area. These designations align with the surrounding residential context and will take effect automatically upon the finalization of the annexation process.

The City Council's adoption of this ordinance followed a thorough public engagement process managed by the Tacoma Planning Commission. This process included public notices, direct mailings to nearby property owners, informational sessions, and formal public hearings on March 4 and May 19, 2026.

Community members can access the complete text of the adopted ordinance and its accompanying exhibits on the City's website. This decision marks an important step towards ensuring growth management in Tacoma while addressing community feedback and complying with state mandates.

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