People are being priced out of housing on the Hilltop. Will light rail make it worse?

“The market just snuck up on us, and now housing prices are higher than we ever thought they’d be, and it’s like we’ve lost control,” Walker Lee said. “The City Council needs to, and the staff need to, have that in mind with the Hilltop community and make sure that the financial resources are there so that affordable housing and mixed-use housing can be built in the Hilltop.”

Blocker and Walker Lee said the biggest player with the most power to keep the Hilltop affordable is the Tacoma Housing Authority. The agency is buying up properties in the Hilltop as often as its budget allows before prices soar higher. Executive director Michael Mirra said the Housing Authority plans to develop a mix of affordable and market-rate units, located above retail in the Hilltop, using the different financial tools it has at its disposal. The agency also has its eye on a few parcels that aren’t for sale yet, Mirra said.”

Read the Full Article at the Tacoma News Tribune.