What’s Being Built Right Now — and What It Means for the City
Tacoma’s development pipeline tells the story of where the city is heading. These aren’t proposals or concept drawings — these are active construction projects with permits pulled, cranes up, and completion dates on the calendar. Combined, they represent over $1.5 billion in investment and will reshape multiple neighborhoods over the next 24 months.
Source data drawn from the City of Tacoma Permit Dashboard, Tacoma Planning & Development Services highlighted projects, and developer announcements.
1. Point Ruston — Phase 3 Residential and Commercial
Project Overview
Developer: Point Ruston, LLC (The McBride Cohen Company)
Location: 5101 Grand Loop, Point Ruston (Ruston/North Tacoma waterfront)
Total Project Value: $1.2 billion (full buildout)
Current Phase: Phase 3 residential towers and commercial pad completion
Unit Count: Approximately 1,800 total residential units at full buildout (mix of for-sale condominiums, rental apartments, and luxury single-family “Stack Hill” homes)
Commercial: Nearly 1.1 million SF of retail and commercial space at full buildout
Timeline: Phase 3 elements delivering through 2027
Neighborhood Impact
Point Ruston has transformed a former ASARCO copper smelter Superfund site into the region’s premier waterfront mixed-use community. The project sits on 97 acres along nearly one mile of Puget Sound shoreline. Phase 3 construction is adding the final residential density and commercial spaces that will bring the community to critical mass — the point where the internal population supports the retail without relying solely on destination traffic.
For the broader North Tacoma/Ruston area, Point Ruston’s completion means approximately 3,000-4,000 new residents within walking distance of the waterfront trail system, adding demand for schools, services, and transit. The project’s tax contribution to the City of Ruston has already transformed that small municipality’s budget.
Source: McBride Cohen Company — Point Ruston project page.
2. Housing Hilltop — Tacoma Housing Authority Mixed-Use
Project Overview
Developer: Tacoma Housing Authority (THA)
Location: South 11th Street and L Street, Hilltop
Project Value: $120 million
Unit Count: 137 affordable housing units
Commercial: 13,000 SF of ground-floor commercial retail space + 10,000 SF performing arts and community gathering space
Income Targeting: Units at or below 50-60% Area Median Income
Timeline: Under construction, delivering 2026-2027
Neighborhood Impact
Housing Hilltop is THA’s largest affordable housing project in decades and represents the most significant public investment in Hilltop’s future. Located near the Hilltop Link light rail station, the Martin Luther King Jr. commercial district, and People’s Park, the project is designed to provide affordable housing that prevents displacement of existing residents while adding community-serving commercial space.
The 10,000 SF performing arts and community gathering space is the project’s differentiator — it signals that this isn’t just housing, it’s community infrastructure. The 13,000 SF of commercial retail will be leased to businesses that serve neighborhood needs, with preferences for locally-owned and culturally-relevant tenants.
For the broader Hilltop market, this project adds density that supports existing businesses while demonstrating that significant investment can happen without exclusively market-rate development.
Source: Tacoma Housing Authority — Housing Hilltop Development.
3. Tacoma Link Hilltop Extension — Sound Transit
Project Overview
Developer: Sound Transit
Location: Theater District to Hilltop (multiple stations along MLK Way)
Project Value: $268 million (original budget; final costs higher)
Infrastructure: 2.4-mile extension, 6 new stations, relocated Theater District station
Stations: Theater District (relocated), Stadium District, Wright Park, St. Joseph, MLK Jr. Way, Hilltop
Status: Operational — opened to passengers; associated TOD construction ongoing
Neighborhood Impact
While the rail line itself is operational, the transit-oriented development (TOD) projects around stations are still under active construction. The extension more than doubles Tacoma Link’s length and connects Stadium District, Wright Park, and major medical facilities to downtown and the Hilltop terminus.
The neighborhood-level impact is transformative: properties within 1/4 mile of stations are seeing accelerated permit activity, land values have increased 15-25% since station locations were confirmed, and several mixed-use projects (separate from Housing Hilltop) have broken ground specifically because of transit adjacency. The corridor from Theater District to Hilltop is Tacoma’s densification spine — everything else happening on this list is shaped by its existence.
Source: Tacoma On the Go — Downtown Construction and Projects.
4. Hilltop Lofts — Permanent Supportive Housing
Project Overview
Developer: Tacoma Housing Authority / Community partners
Location: Hilltop neighborhood
Unit Count: 57 permanent supportive housing units
Income Targeting: Persons experiencing homelessness, incomes at or below 50-60% AMI
Building Type: Loft-style affordable units with on-site supportive services
Status: Completed / recently delivered
Neighborhood Impact
Hilltop Lofts represents the permanent supportive housing model — combining affordable units with wrap-around services (mental health, addiction recovery, employment assistance) that help formerly homeless individuals maintain stable housing. The 57-unit project adds to Hilltop’s affordable housing stock alongside the larger Housing Hilltop project.
For the development pipeline, Hilltop Lofts demonstrates that Tacoma’s building activity isn’t exclusively market-rate luxury. Pierce County’s affordable housing projects page tracks multiple similar initiatives across the county, with several in various stages of planning and construction.
Source: Pierce County — Affordable Housing Projects.
5. Tacoma Dome Link Extension — Sound Transit ST3
Project Overview
Developer: Sound Transit (ST3 Program)
Location: Tacoma Dome to Federal Way (Pierce County segment)
Project Value: Multi-billion dollar regional investment (Pierce County portion)
Infrastructure: Light rail extension connecting Tacoma Dome Station to the regional Link network via South Federal Way, Fife, and East Tacoma stations
Stations: Tacoma Dome (major transfer hub), East Tacoma, Fife, South Federal Way
Timeline: Engineering and early construction phase; full service projected late 2030s
Status: Active engineering, property acquisition, and preliminary construction
Neighborhood Impact
The Tacoma Dome Link Extension will connect Pierce County to SeaTac Airport and downtown Seattle via continuous light rail — eliminating the current transfer requirement and making Tacoma a true one-seat ride to the region’s major employment centers. While full service is years away, the project’s current-phase construction activity (engineering, property acquisition, utility relocation) is already generating economic activity and shaping land use decisions around future station areas.
For Tacoma’s development pipeline, the Tacoma Dome Station area is the most significant long-term opportunity. The future multimodal hub — combining Link light rail, Sounder commuter rail, Amtrak, and bus transit — will anchor the densest transit-oriented development in Pierce County. Developers are already positioning land plays in the station area, even though service is years from opening.
Source: City of Tacoma — Hot Topics & Highlighted Projects.
What the Pipeline Tells Us
Tacoma’s active development pipeline has three defining characteristics:
Transit-led growth. Every major project on this list is either a transit project or is explicitly located to benefit from transit investment. The Hilltop Extension, Housing Hilltop, Hilltop Lofts, and the Tacoma Dome Extension all reinforce the same thesis: Tacoma’s growth will follow the tracks.
Public-private balance. The pipeline isn’t exclusively private development or exclusively public investment — it’s both. Point Ruston ($1.2B private), Housing Hilltop ($120M public), and Sound Transit (regional public investment) are all building simultaneously, creating a development environment that serves multiple income levels.
Hilltop as the center of gravity. Three of five projects on this list are in or immediately adjacent to Hilltop. The neighborhood is receiving more concurrent investment than any other area of Tacoma — a transformation that will define the city’s next decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest active development project in Tacoma?
Point Ruston at $1.2 billion total project value is Tacoma’s largest single development, featuring approximately 1,800 residential units and 1.1 million SF of commercial space on the former ASARCO Superfund site along the Puget Sound waterfront.
How many affordable housing units are being built in Tacoma?
Between Housing Hilltop (137 units) and Hilltop Lofts (57 units), approximately 194 affordable housing units are in the active pipeline in the Hilltop neighborhood alone. Additional affordable projects are tracked by Pierce County across the broader metro area.
When will Tacoma have direct light rail to Seattle?
The Tacoma Dome Link Extension is in active engineering and early construction. Full service connecting Tacoma Dome Station to the regional Link network (providing one-seat rides to SeaTac and downtown Seattle) is projected for the late 2030s. The Hilltop Extension within Tacoma is already operational.
Where can I find information about Tacoma building permits?
The City of Tacoma maintains a public Permit Dashboard at tacomapermits.org/dashboard where you can search by address, filter by permit type, view up to seven years of history, and see heatmaps of construction activity concentration across the city.
What neighborhood is seeing the most development activity in Tacoma?
Hilltop is receiving the most concurrent development investment, with Housing Hilltop ($120M), Hilltop Lofts, and multiple transit-oriented development projects all under construction simultaneously. The neighborhood’s transformation is driven by the Tacoma Link Hilltop Extension providing light rail connectivity.