Housing Developer Portal
City of Lakewood
Developer Information
Plans & Polices
The following plans at the City of Lakewood guide housing development in the City:
- Comprehensive Plan – For Housing Goals, Objectives, & Policies, see Section 3.2.10, pages 64-72.
- Subarea plans
- Tillicum Neighborhood Plan
- Lakewood Downtown Plan – See especially “Urban Design Policies + Strategies” on page 32; “Housing Policies + Strategies” on page 37
- Lakewood Station District Subarea Plan – See especially “Housing Policies and Strategies” on pages 44-45
- Find Planned Action Ordinances and Development Regulation Links for Downtown and Station District Subareas here.
- 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan
Development Incentives
The City of Lakewood provides the following incentives for affordable housing:
- Fee reductions for land use applications and building permits: LMC 18A.90.070
- Parking requirement reduction: LMC 18A.90.060
- Inclusionary density bonus: LMC 18A.90.050
The City of Lakewood provides these other incentives for development:
- Multifamily Property Tax Exemption (MFTE): LMC 3.64 (Residential Target Area Map located here)
- Area-wide SEPA approval for planned action projects in the Lakewood Downtown Subarea: Ordinance No. 696
- Area-wide SEPA approval for planned action projects the Lakewood Station District Subarea: Ordinance No. 752
- No impact fees
For LIHTC developers – The following census tracts in the City of Lakewood are defined by HUD as Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) in 2024: 717.04, 717.06, 718.05, 718.06, 718.08, 720.00
Permitting
| Development regulations | City of Lakewood Development Regulations Downtown Subarea Development Regulations Lakewood Station District Subarea Development Regulations |
| Maps | GIS Map |
| Permitting interface | City of Lakewood Permitting |
| Permit timelines | LMC 18A.20.050 |
| Planning and development fee schedule | City of Lakewood Fee Schedule |
| Connection fee schedules | Lakeview Light & Power Lakewood Water District Pierce County Sewer Utility Puget Sound Energy Tacoma Power |
| Impact fee schedules | Lakewood does not have impact fees. Lakewood does have transportation mitigation fees within the Downtown Subarea. |
Utilities & Fire
| Fire | West Pierce Fire & Rescue |
| Power | Lakewood Water District |
| Water | Tacoma Public Utilities Puget Sound Energy Lakeview Light & Power Find a map of water lines here. |
| Sewer | Pierce County Sewer Utility Find a map of sewer lines here. |
Funding for Affordable Housing
For information and questions about funding opportunities for affordable housing, contact Jeff Gumm at jgumm@cityoflakewood.us.
Resident Assistance Programs
- Eviction prevention program in partnership with Tacomaprobono