Stop Home In Tacoma, The City's Plan To Upzone Neighborhoods
Add new housing while preserving our neighborhoods' appeal and livability
Important October 2024 Updates!
In the next few weeks, City Council Members will make their final decision on Home in Tacoma Phase 2, the City’s proposal to make massive zoning changes to our neighborhoods.
No final decisions have been taken yet.
If you oppose the changes, you must make your voice heard! When enough residents register their opinions, the Council listens!
Written comments: To submit your written comments to the City Council, email cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org. Also send the email directly to your Council Member and/or Mayor Woodards and Deputy Mayor Hines, https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_council.
Include in the comment that you are commenting on Home in Tacoma.
For talking points, click here.
Sign The NEW Petition: Red button top and bottom of page!
What to ask for? It’s simple!
• Do not pass the Home in Tacoma zoning changes
• Instead, manage the zoning changes already made by House Bill 1110 [click], passed by the Washington Legislature in 2023
What change is the City proposing?
All neighborhoods will be rezoned for a greater range of housing types. The 2023 state legislation already allows for different kinds of homes in all neighborhoods, such as duplexes and triplexes. However, the city is going way beyond what the state requires and will allow much larger buildings in all single-family neighborhoods. See the Zoning zoning map below and click "Go To Map" then type your address in the search box to see how your neighborhood will be rezoned:
Help Promote This Effort!
Request A Yard Sign
Click below to email: saveotn@gmail.com
The QR code is a direct link to this website and petition.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Ditch HIT!
State Zoning Mandates Are Enough!
This is an example of the City not holding to its promise of design oversight. This SLOT BUILDING shows how in-filling will work if we don't hold the City accountable. There are more projects like this throughout the city. If the city continues to allow developers to ignore setbacks and not provide parking for these housing units, the historic quality of our neighborhoods (the reason so many are moving here) will continue to be denigrated. The City has also promised these developments will contribute to the tree canopy. Short grasses are not trees.
What do the new zoning designations mean?
UR-1: 4-unit buildings allowed per lot; can increase up to 8 units per lot if certain requirements met
UR-2: 6-unit buildings allowed per lot; can increase up to 12 units per lot if certain requirements met
UR-3: 8-unit buildings allowed per lot; can increase up to 16 units if certain requirements met; 3 story apartment buildings also allowed; can increase to 4 or 5 stories if certain requirements met.
Click link for a summary sheet of the proposed zoning changes, including:
Number of units allowed per lot; permitted height of building; distance required for building to be “setback” from the front and rear property line. Developers can get a “bonus” to increase the number of units allowed per lot as well as extra building height. A bonus is obtained by providing “affordable” units or paying a fee.
Visit the Summary Page.
Background Info: Home in Tacoma and State Legislation
What is Home in Tacoma?
Since 2015, Tacoma’s Planning Department (PD) has been working on ways to provide more housing options through its infill program. The aim was to provide a range of housing types to accommodate different household needs and budgets. The PD reassured residents that duplexes, triplexes, and other low-scale building types could fit into existing single-family neighborhoods without impacting the existing streetscape.
However, in 2020, the Infill Program morphed into Home in Tacoma, Phase 1, which ballooned the scale of buildings allowed in single-family neighborhoods. After robust public feedback, the PD reined in these density increases. Then came Phase 2 of Home in Tacoma. During this phase, the PD was supposed to refine the zoning maps and create regulations to reduce the negative impacts of increased density.
Now, we have reached the end of Phase 2, and the City has reversed course again and backtracked on its promises. It has greatly cranked up the density allowances: 8-unit developments will be allowed in every neighborhood, while some neighborhoods could see 4- and 5-story apartment buildings. The result: a proposal for much greater density combined with completely inadequate safeguards to reduce the negative impacts.
We are not saying don’t increase density. We are saying increased density must be balanced with other priorities, such as ensuring we retain the livability and appeal of Tacoma’s neighborhoods. The City should stick to the increased density requirements of HB 1110 and ensure that these density increases unfold in a manageable way.
What is Washington House Bill 1110 and what does it mean for Tacoma?
The Washington Legislature passed HB 1110 in April 2023. The bill eliminates Single-family zoning in Washington State’s cities to allow Low-scale buildings such as duplexes and triplexes in all neighborhoods. In cities such as Tacoma, with populations over 75,000, fourplexes can also be built. And sixplexes are allowed when 2 of the units are affordable or if the building is within 1/4 mile of a major transit stop (e.g., light rail and bus rapid transit). Because these zoning changes will be made across every neighborhood, the impacts of density will be more equitably distributed than with HiT.
Our demand to the City
1. Put Home in Tacoma zoning changes on hold – The City’s own planning report states that Tacoma
does not need these massive density increases in all our neighborhoods in order to meet 2050 housing
targets. Instead, the City should emphasize developing multi-family complexes in downtown and in
areas already zoned for larger buildings. It should also focus on managing the development that will
result from the zoning changes of HB 1110.
2. Focus on creating affordable housing for those who are most vulnerable to being priced out of
Tacoma – Home in Tacoma will not create truly “affordable” housing but will only bring more overpriced
units that are inaccessible to low-income residents. Even with “affordability” requirements, new housing
is out of reach for the most vulnerable Tacomans, those with incomes below 80% Area Median Income.
3. Conduct neighborhood-level planning – The Planning Department assured residents that, during
Home in Tacoma Phase 2, it would refine the broad brush zoning map of Phase 1 and tailor zoning to the
needs and characteristics of Tacoma’s individual neighborhoods. This has not happened. The Phase 2
map again takes a blanket approach and applies zoning according to a few general criteria. Home in
Tacoma does not account for diverse neighborhood realities or the impacts of pending development,
such as the massive Bridge Industrial project in South Tacoma.
4. Focus staff resources on ensuring the State-mandated Low-scale zoning is implemented
successfully. Density is already occurring.
– The City must develop and implement:
• Actions to ensure urban infrastructure and services are adequate to support growth — Even without added density, our streets are already failing and our water treatment
system needs essential upgrades. And since developers still do not pay impact fees, it is
residents who bear the costs of increasing capacity for schools, parks, fire protection
facilities, and road infrastructure.
• Design Standards that ensure high quality building designs — During Home in Tacoma Phase 1,
the Planning Department assured residents it would create design guidelines to ensure new
development would be in harmony with neighborhood scale and character. This has not been done.
We need effective design standards for building scale and mass, building volume (floor area ratios),
setbacks, and streetscape planting that will ensure new builds harmonize with the existing street. The
Planning Department should follow through on its promise to create a form-based code, which
“guides development to build upon and strengthen the unique characteristics of a community, helping
to preserve desired character.”
• Regulations to promote and protect tree canopy — Tacoma has the lowest tree
coverage of any city in the Puget Sound region—around 20%. The City should pass the
Landscaping Code component of Home in Tacoma. This will provide important tree
protections and planting requirements that are the minimum needed for the City to reach
its goal of 30% tree coverage by 2030.
• Strategies to encourage preservation of historic buildings — Historic buildings and
neighborhoods are integral to Tacoma’s appeal. But Home in Tacoma has no
preservation requirements, and the incentives to preserve historic buildings are weak.
Since the majority of Tacoma’s historic buildings are not even on the historic register or
located within historic districts, the City should conduct proactive surveys to identify
historically and culturally significant buildings. It should provide incentives for reuse of
historic buildings that preserves their architectural integrity.
• Strong incentives to discourage demolition — Old buildings have “paid off” the energy
required to build them. It takes a huge amount of energy and greenhouse gas emissions
to build even the most environmentally-efficient new building. The City should create
strong incentives to deter demolition.
We don’t need to lose the character and appeal of any of our neighborhoods to gain
improvements in livability, affordability, inclusivity, and sustainability across the city.
Our shared goal is to support growth while ensuring that the fabric of Tacoma’s
neighborhoods and communities remains intact.
Specific Concerns About HIT
HiT subjects our neighborhoods to the most sweeping zoning changes in decades. Such massive changes risk a slew of negative unintended consequences. The City does not have sufficient safeguards in place to manage these consequences. It has not fulfilled the assurances it made to residents that it would reduce the negative impacts of increased density.
HiT may be a boon for developers. But it endangers the livability of our neighborhoods while doing little to provide affordable housing.
1. HiT does little to improve affordability.
HiT offers developers a raft of incentives in exchange for a few “moderately affordable” units. Meanwhile, It does not assist Tacomans, who are most at risk of displacement and homelessness. HiT will mainly provide new opportunities for developers to build high-end units in their favored areas.
2. Plans for Infrastructure upgrades are inadequate.
Tacoma’s infrastructure is already stressed. Our potholed roads and overstretched sewer system need major upgrades. Developers will not be paying for these, and the City has not demonstrated how they will be accomplished.
3. The Design Standards are entirely inadequate to protect the character of existing streets.
The proposed standards are “one size fits all” and have minimal requirements for features that will provide visual interest. HiT risks damaging one of Tacoma’s greatest assets: Our attractive and welcoming neighborhoods.
4. HiT risks accelerating the displacement of current residents.
HiT is, in effect, a form of extreme deregulation. Removing caps on development suddenly opens up neighborhoods to potent and unpredictable market forces.
5. The zoning changes are inequitable.
While all neighborhoods could see increased density, some neighborhoods will receive a much more significant burden.
6. We don’t need HiT to reach our housing goals.
Tacoma already has sufficient buildable land to meet projected population growth.
7. HiT provides inadequate protections for our Tree Canopy.
Tacoma already has the lowest tree coverage of any city in the Puget Sound region, just 20%.
8. HiT incentivizes the demolition and degradation of our historic buildings.
HiT has no preservation requirements. And it only has weak incentives to preserve historic buildings.
How to attend a public hearing and provide comments
It’s easy to attend a public hearing in Tacoma! You can attend in person or online via zoom.
Attending a public hearing in Person:
Hearings take place in The Council Chambers in the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St. Chambers are on the 1st floor. You can enter the building on Market St., in which case the Chambers will be straight ahead, or from St. Helens, in which case take the escalator or stairs down to the 1st floor.
Step-by-step how to comment in person:
• When you get to the Council Chambers, sign your name on the list by the door.
People are called up in the order in which they signed up so, the earlier you sign, the earlier you’ll get to comment.
• Commenters’ names are called out in batches of three, so you’ll have warning that your turn is coming up. (Council Chambers are not that large. It’s not a giant echoing auditorium! And the speakers’ stand has a microphone.)
• Depending on the number of people wanting to speak, you’ll be given anywhere from 1 - 2 minutes to comment. For this hearing, the comments will probably be kept to the shorter side.
• I or 2 minutes is not much time. So it’s a good idea to focus on a couple of main points.
• State specifically whether you’re opposing or supporting Home in Tacoma.
• To ensure you’ll stay in the time allotted, it helps to write out your comment and time yourself speaking it out loud. For most of us, having our comments in hand, reduces the potential stress of public speaking!
If you don’t want to comment at the hearing, but would like to make your opinion known, you could always attend in person and hold up a sign. A concise message could be: “No HiT. Stick with HB 1110!”
How to comment via zoom
If you’re on the Planning Dept. email list, look for notifications about the public hearing; these should also include the zoom link for the hearing. If you aren’t getting notifications, visit the Planning Dept’s Home in Tacoma web page and scroll down to find information about the public hearing and the zoom link. There will also be info for attending by phone.
On zoom, you will click the “Raise Hand” button to request to speak. Press *9 if talking via phone.
Some Current Press
Seattle Times Editorial
Jan. 27, 2023 at 2:48 pm
Serve the people, not developers: Amend WA ‘middle housing’ bill
by Seattle Times Editorial Board
State lawmakers are in the throes of determining whether Olympia should override local zoning regulations that impact almost every home in Washington.
To hear boosters tell it, such legislation is necessary to build more affordable housing and meet the tremendous demand for places to live.
Trouble is, the way the bill is written, there is only a token attempt to build any actual affordable housing. It is really intended to boost market-rate housing — the highest price developers can get someone to pay. And that could make property taxes go up for everyone else in the neighborhood, a county assessor confirms.
What’s more, the proposed legislation would prohibit cities like Seattle from enacting their own affordability requirements. At a time when governments are looking for every revenue stream, that means more than $75 million now devoted to affordable housing in Seattle disappears.
To be clear, the state should press for, and help, cities to allow greater density. But if a public asset is given up — in this case, zoning regulations — lawmakers should exact something in return. History shows that when zoning changes occurred in Seattle, developers cater to the richest buyers by building town houses and other such “middle housing” in wealthier neighborhoods.
Current Affairs
filed 09 January 2021
The Only Thing Worse Than A NIMBY Is A YIMBY
by Nathan J. Robinson
Pro-development activists try to trick you into thinking it helps the poor to destroy neighborhoods to make way for luxury condos. We need a radically democratic preservationism.
Nobody likes a NIMBY. The “Not In My Backyard” resident is the one who objects to the building of a homeless shelter or methadone clinic in their neighborhood, because it will negatively affect their property values and possibly bring them into contact with the poor. When you think of the villainous NIMBY, you might imagine someone like billionaire Bill Koch, who waged a 12-year campaign to stop a wind farm being built near his house on the Nantucket Sound that he thought would spoil his view.
Examples of these people abound: consider the Los Angeles residents complaining that a city councilman is “putting their neighborhood at risk” by putting a series of pitiful “tiny home” cabins for unhoused people in a nearby parking lot.) To those of us who believe that poor people need more houses, and the planet needs more windmills, there is no one more exasperating than the wealthy person who moans about their Quality of Life, which they are unwilling to compromise one iota no matter how large the benefit to others might be. They are also frequently racist, attempting to stall projects that might result in more Black and brown people living in wealthy white areas.
Enter the YIMBYs. They define themselves as taking the opposite approach: instead of saying “not in my backyard,” they say “yes in my backyard.”
How long has the ReZoning proposal been under development?
Low-scale has been under development for several years. It started life as the Residential Pilot Infill Program, and several pilot projects have been built in neighborhoods around the city. Planning Department staff have also conducted public outreach on the project through presentations at Neighborhood Council meetings, online reports, and an online survey.
They promised designs that would fit within neighborhoods like the accompanying images. So far those promises have not been met. We MUST hold them to these standards.
Why has the City proposed these zoning changes?
Like many West Coast cities, Tacoma is attracting many new residents. This growth is projected to continue. To ensure current Tacoma residents aren’t priced out by rising rents and home prices, the city wants to increase the supply of housing. Home in Tacoma is the Planning Department’s answer to this.
How can we ensure Re-Zoning, required by HB 1110, doesn’t harm neighborhoods?
Re-zoning could add more housing, but this must be done right.
The City must develop strategies that comply with HB 110 to implement Low-scale housing while preserving our neighborhood's inherent livability.
We want
• well-designed buildings that fit with existing streetscapes
• infrastructure and amenities that can accommodate a growing population
• protection of street trees and green spaces; preservation of historic buildings, etc.
That’s why we’re demanding Council:
Put HIT on hold and focus staff resources on taking the essential steps to get HB1110 Zoning right.
If approved...
HIT midscale is coming to...
our neighborhoods
What’s wrong with the HIT proposal?
The Home In Tacoma (HIT) proposal was introduced in early 2021 during a pandemic, when in-person public meetings and effective public outreach were impossible.
The first most residents heard of it was a postcard giving less than a month’s notice of the April 7, 2021 Public Hearing. The postcard was headed “Help shape the future of housing in Tacoma.” This doesn’t grab attention or convey urgency.
There has been no effort to introduce HIT re-zoning gradually to monitor potential negative impacts before rolling it out citywide. Yet, if enacted, this proposal could transform the affected communities.
• Some neighborhoods could change rapidly if they’re opened up to profitable new development opportunities.
• Opening up neighborhoods to new development opportunities could accelerate gentrification
• Existing residents could be displaced.
• Well-built, older homes could be demolished.
• New buildings could clash with existing streetscape if not well designed.
• Larger buildings will shade out yards and homes and eliminate privacy.
• Neighborhoods will become noisier and more congested.
• There will be loss of open space and tree canopy.
• Apartment buildings will gradually replace the existing homes. No in depth analysis!
Once the zoning is enacted, it will be impossible to reverse. For this reason, we’re telling Council:
Put HIT Re-Zoning on hold!
Our petition's specific demands to Council:
1. Put Mid-Scale on hold
The City’s own planning report states that Tacoma does not need to build 3 to 4 story apartment buildings in our neighborhoods in order to meet 2050 housing targets. Instead, the City should emphasize developing multi-family complexes downtown and in areas already zoned for larger buildings.
2. Conduct neighborhood planning
The City must partner with residents to create neighborhood-specific plans, tailored to the needs of individual neighborhoods.
3. Create Design Review for Low-scale structures
The Planning Department must create design standards that are sensitive to neighborhood context and a public, citizen-based Design Review process.
4. Focus staff resources on ensuring that Low-scale is implemented successfully
The City must develop:
• Initiatives to prevent displacement of current residents •
Regulations to encourage development on vacant and
underutilized land
• Actions to ensure urban infrastructure and services are
adequate to support growth
• Proactive surveys to identify historically and culturally
significant buildings • Strategies to discourage
demolition
• Robust standards for setbacks, building mass,
landscaping, and streetscape planting
• Initiatives that will actually address affordability and
provide pathways to home ownership
5. Focus on creating affordable housing for those who spend more than 30% of their income on housing
The City should stop incentivizing growth in high-end areas that will only produce high-end, high-priced housing.
6. Conduct effective outreach
An issue of this magnitude requires in-person public meetings. Mailings to inform residents about proposals must use clear and specific language that will alert residents to what’s actually being proposed in their neighborhoods and for their properties.
7. Analyze impact of Low-scale zoning before pursuing any further neighborhood zoning changes
Throughout Tacoma, many areas are already zoned for multi-family apartments and are experiencing population growth. Low-scale development will allow for further increases. The City should monitor how fast neighborhoods are growing before opening them up to Mid-scale development.
We Want Tacoma to Thrive!
We don’t need to lose the character and appeal of any of our neighborhoods to gain improvements in livability, affordability, accessibility, and sustainability across the city. Our shared goal is to support growth while ensuring that the fabric of Tacoma’s neighborhoods and communities remains intact.
Contact City Council With Your Concerns Here
Tell them to Ditch HIT!
Stick with HB 1110
Send written comments to Mayor Woodards and Council Members individually or send them a group email. https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_council
Contact us
For more information.
Alternative ideas:
Learn more about what is happening across the country.
AUSTIN, TX - Rezoning efforts.
Nearly a carbon copy of what Tacoma's City Planners have proposed was recently defeated in the courts. "Zoned Out" is a privately funded documentary about Austin's struggle with the same housing issues facing almost every city on earth.
ALTERNATIVE HOUSING PLANS
We have been excited to read about Co-Housing projects that are taking place in West Seattle and Vashon Island. Communities of first-time or low-income families living in Courtyard type developments all with a stake in the upkeep of the property.
Portland has done this to great success giving families a place to get established and eventually move into a single-family home.
This type of housing is much more affordable and fits perfectly along transit lines. Portland revitalized vacant urban lots and empty warehouses.
Tacoma has multiple vacant lots and multiple vacant buildings suited for type of development. The abandoned K-Mart building at 6th and Orchard is one example. That site is walkable to schools, groceries and retail outlets.
Promote Home Rehabilitation
The City of Tacoma offers a Single Family Residence Homeowner Occupied Rehabilitation Loan program.
The program is designed to assist low and moderate-income Tacoma homeowners in preserving the quality and stability of their home. Loans up to $50,000 are available.
Encourage the city to REHAB these historic buildings instead of tearing them off and filling our landfills with the debris. A rehabbed home turned into a Multi-Family unit can be more affordable than newly built apartments.
Continue to Revitalize The City!
The Lincoln District Streetscape is the cornerstone of the Lincoln Revitalization Project. Key features of the streetscape include neighborhood entryway, roadway, sidewalk and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.
Downtown Tacoma has numerous vacant lots along transit routes that can be revitalized for low-scale and mid-scale housing.
There are numerous vacant lots along transit routes in our city. Develop those areas before destroying historic neighborhoods.
Before expanding into neighborhoods continue to develop all of Tacoma's Mixed Use Centers
Tacoma has defined 18 Mixed Use Centeres (MUC) throughout the city limits. The MUCs are classified into four types depending upon the size, scale and character of development, mix of uses, and the potential for increases in employment and resident population.
The six MUCs that have not been included in the analysis are:
· Tacoma Mall Urban Center has been designated as a regional growth area in Vision 2040 and undergoing a separate study.
· Point Ruston Community Center was designated an MUC in 2013 master planned proposal and development is ongoing.
· Downtown Central Business District, Stadium Neighborhood Center, and Hilltop Neighborhood Center have seen new investments in mixed-use development and affordable housing over the past decade.
Contact City Council Here
Send written comments to Mayor Woodards and Council Members individually or send them a group email. https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_council
Contact us
For more information.
Specific Concerns
1. HiT does little to improve affordability.
HiT offers developers a raft of incentives in exchange for a few “moderately affordable” units. Meanwhile, It does not assist Tacomans, who are most at risk of displacement and homelessness. HiT will mainly provide new opportunities for developers to build high-end units in their favored areas.
For example, in UR-3 neighborhoods, a developer can add a 4th story to an apartment building in exchange for providing two units (or 20% of total units) at “moderately affordable levels.” In addition, the developer gets a reduction in parking, tree canopy, building setback, and open space requirements. They also obtain a tax exemption. This developer bonus subjects a previously single-family neighborhood to a huge change in density with little gain in affordability.
2. Plans for Infrastructure upgrades are inadequate.
Tacoma’s infrastructure is already stressed. Our potholed roads and overstretched sewer system need major upgrades. Developers will not be paying for these, and the City has not demonstrated how they will be accomplished.
For example, the city’s wastewater treatment will require expensive upgrades to serve Tacoma’s projected HiT population. The City’s own analysis shows that the Central plant on the Tideflats will be out of compliance with regulations; the North End plant can comply only if the State approves changes to its operating conditions. Additionally, the City’s analysis does not factor in the likely requirement for both plants to add technology to remove nutrient pollution that is harming Puget Sound.
3. The Design Standards are completely inadequate to protect the character of existing streets.
The proposed standards are “one size fits all” and have minimal requirements for features that will provide visual interest. HiT risks damaging one of Tacoma’s greatest assets: Our attractive and welcoming neighborhoods.
The Planning Department has not followed through on its promise to create a “form-based code” for design. This would have analyzed the characteristics of different neighborhoods and guided development “to build upon and strengthen the unique characteristics of a community, helping to preserve desired character.”
The City cannot claim that HiT will “Protect and enhance established neighborhoods, and ensure that new development is in harmony with neighborhood scale and character,” when it doesn’t require new buildings to match the height, scale or materials used in the existing streetscape. This is particularly the case in UR-3, where 3, 4, or 5-story apartment buildings can be inserted into streets of single-family houses. With HiT’s weak design standards, our neighborhoods must depend on a developer to invest in design. However, developers run businesses, and their bottom line must be profit maximization. They cannot be expected to embellish the architectural design voluntarily. The City needs to provide robust design standards to guide them.
4. HiT risks accelerating the displacement of current residents.
HiT is, in effect, a form of extreme deregulation. Removing caps on development suddenly opens up neighborhoods to potent and unpredictable market forces.
Communities zoned for the most significant density increases could become particular targets for investment and redevelopment. Small houses will be cleared to make way for more profitable apartment buildings, and the existing community will be displaced as property values rise. This will be particularly hard on renters.
5. The zoning changes are inequitable.
While all neighborhoods could see increased density, some neighborhoods will receive a much more significant burden.
The inequitable distribution of zoning changes is incompatible with HiT’s stated purpose to “Provide a fair and equitable distribution of a variety of housing types and living areas throughout the City’s neighborhoods.” HiT imposes different housing types in the different zoning districts. In UR-2 districts, a single-family home can be replaced by a 12-plex. And in UR-3 districts, a single-family home can be replaced by 3, 4, or 5-story apartment buildings.
6. We don’t need HiT to reach our housing goals.
Tacoma already has sufficient buildable land to meet projected population growth.
The MUCs and surrounding URX zones are already zoned for apartments and “Missing Middle” buildings. And now we have the additional housing types allowed by HB 1110 in every neighborhood.
7. HiT provides inadequate protections for our Tree Canopy.
Tacoma already has the lowest tree coverage of any city in the Puget Sound region, just 20%.
It’s good to see that HiT’s Landscaping Code includes requirements for developers to plant and protect trees. However, these requirements are the minimum needed for the City to reach its tree canopy goal of 30% coverage by 2030. Unfortunately, the requirements are watered down in neighborhoods where the greatest density is allowed; and they’re further reduced if a developer provides moderately affordable units. This means that densifying neighborhoods—which could most benefit from urban trees and the cooling effects they bring in the summer—will actually see the smallest increase in tree canopy. The consequences of a meager urban canopy will become more dire as our summer temperatures continue to rise.
8. HiT incentivizes the demolition and degradation of our historic buildings.
HiT has no preservation requirements. And it only has weak incentives to preserve historic buildings.
The “Adaptive Reuse of a Heritage Building” guidelines will promote “facadism,” a practice in which a historic building is not preserved. Still, instead, the facade is essentially pasted onto a modern structure.
A developer who preserves an old building instead of demolishing it will be awarded an extra story of height, which undermines the building's historic integrity.
Even worse, allowing multi-unit developments within historic districts actually provides an economic incentive to demolish historic buildings. HiT thus ignores the intention of the City’s own policies, which call for enhancing our designated Historic Districts and avoiding creating incentives for demolitions within those Districts.