Hilltop is an ethnically diverse neighborhood with a significant Black/African-American population that is undergoing a resurgence of development in Tacoma, WA. The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Forterra, a nonprofit developer, are actively developing mixed-use, multifamily projects in the Hilltop Commercial District. EPS evaluated the demand for retail and commercial uses in the Hilltop neighborhood and to inform the development program and tenant leasing strategy for the first level commercial space in the proposed projects. The analysis evaluated the tenant mix and target markets of other neighborhood commercial districts in Tacoma, as well as successful commercial districts in African American neighborhoods in other cities. Based on the findings, EPS then created a development and tenant recruitment strategy for the mixed-use projects. In addition, the project identified strategies to support and encourage Black/African-American owned businesses and entrepreneurship as a way to maintain and build on the cultural and historic legacy of Hilltop.
