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The affordability crisis from rising median home prices to booming rents is affecting the South Puget Sound region.

Like many areas of western Washington.

For years Tacoma has been ahead of the curve on easing housing zoning codes.

In a sit down interview with the city's new mayor, he tells me about the levers the city's using under his administration to make first time homeownership a reality.

At the beginning of June, the city authorized a new 12 year limited property tax exemption for multifamily housing units.

What will that mean for more affordable rental, affordable housing and also rental housing just here and around the city?

Something I'm so proud of, of the city's direction is that we have grabbed the bull by the horns on housing affordability years before other folks in our state.

So before the state legislature passed what's called the missing middle law.

So.

So allowing for more ADUs, townhouses, duplexes in our residential areas to give folks more housing choices and to lower housing costs by increasing supply.

We did that with Home In Tacoma years before.

We have pre-approved designs for accessory dwelling units, which means you spend a lot less time waiting for permitting and racking up fees and more time building building the thing.

Right.

We're starting to do that with townhouses, which back to the previous example, that's something that's disproportionately going to be starter homes, because speaking of someone with a housing background myself, the housing affordability and supply crisis isn't evenly spread.

It is hurting first time homebuyers or would be first in homebuyers disproportionately more than anyone.

Tomorrow, we'll talk public safety with Tacoma's new mayor, including the controversial ICE detention center in the city.

I'm Paris Jackson.

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