Tacoma church might become shared youth housing. But no one’s happy with city’s decision

A Proctor church built in 1909 might get new life if it’s converted into shared young adult housing as proposed by the building owners. But it’s hit a snag.

At the end of June the city of Tacoma approved a conditional-use permit for the site, the final step for owner Warner Street Amici House LLC to move forward with the project. But neither the owners nor neighbors are happy with the city’s decision, and both parties have filed requests for reconsideration. The city’s ruling on that might come in late August or September, according to Tacoma spokesperson Maria Lee.

Building owner Julie Cain told The News Tribune last month via email that Warner Street Amici House LLC wants to house up to 51 people at 2213 N. Warner St. In February while giving The News Tribune a tour of the space, she painted a vision of communal living where tenants aged 18-26 could rent shared or single rooms and enjoy shared bathrooms, a large kitchen, common areas, fitness room and recreation room in the building after they complete renovations.

Cain said the faith-based campus’ target demographic is people who are recent high school or college graduates completing their education or apprenticeships, and she hoped the site would provide much-needed housing and social options for young people.

According to the Warner Street Amici House LLC proposal, there would be construction of a new 11-vehicle parking lot, eight angled parking stalls, 10 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, one apartment for a residential director and a laundry room. Each bedroom is proposed to contain three to seven beds. In February Cain told The News Tribune preliminary rents would range from $500-$900 or more a month.

The conditional-use permit approved by the city of Tacoma on June 27 found a demonstrated need for more housing options in Tacoma, but it limited the number of occupants to 29 residents and one residential advisor. Warner Street Amici House LLC also would need to install landscaping buffers, increase street lighting, keep 20% of the site as open yard space and commence work within five years to meet permit requirements, according to the decision.

Warner Street Amici House LLC filed a request for the city to reconsider the decision on July 11, contending that limiting the number of residents to 29 “would render the Project as proposed economically infeasible, as the resulting reduction in Project budget would not support the extensive building, site and off-site improvements currently proposed or required,” according to their request for reconsideration.

“There is no justification for this limit, and Amici has shown it satisfies the criteria for a [conditional use permit] with the originally proposed 51 residents,” Cain wrote to The News Tribune on July 19. “We are hopeful the City will grant its motion for reconsideration and are looking forward to restoring the former church building, providing affordable housing to young adults and being an asset to its neighborhood.”

In a separate request for reconsideration, an attorney on behalf of the North Tacoma Neighbors United group called for Tacoma to deny the conditional-use permit or reduce the number of residents allowed from 29 to six.

The nonprofit argues group housing is limited to six or fewer residents under the site’s zoning for single-family residential use.

“Issuance of a CUP itself is not a blank check to disregard the zoning code,” wrote attorney Gabriel Hinman in the request. “Even if the Director declines to reconsider, enforcement of the [Tacoma Municipal Code]’s clear six-person zoning restriction for R-2 group housing, allowing 29 residents is still untenable and inconsistent with other provisions of the Code.”

North Tacoma Neighbors United brought up other concerns with the development, including potential religious discrimination, alleged inconsistencies within the director’s decision and concerns about “noise, litter and other neighborhood nuisances to be caused by the Project.”

In the city’s conditional-use permit decision, the city said it received public comments from 109 people, a majority of whom were concerned about traffic, parking and overcrowding.

Planning and Development Services director Peter Huffman noted those concerns in his decision, saying, like with all sites in the city, the owner would have to meet applicable laws for occupancy, nuisance activity and zoning. In terms of potential violation of the Fair Housing Act with religious advertising, Huffman said religious or affiliated organizations providing housing may favor people of the same religion if it offers the housing for non-commercial purposes and doesn’t discriminate based on race, color or national origin. That issue is for the court, not the city to decide, Huffman wrote.