The Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) is a vital player in the enhancement of Tacoma's neighborhoods. The NPP program provides loans of up to $50,000 for code-related repairs to owner-occupied homes. One shining example of the city's dedication to neighborhood revitalization can be found on Tacoma's east side. Here the Tacoma Housing Authority, working with private developers and non-profit community partners, plans to replace the city’s largest public housing development, Salishan. In its place will be hundreds of new apartments and single-family homes as well as a revitalized community center. The rebuilding of Salishan will bring measurably better conditions to current residents. The new economically mixed community will include quality affordable rental and for-sale housing.

Salishan will be one of several major public housing revitalization projects in the Puget Sound region funded by HOPE VI grants. In combination with private partners and cooperative development with not-for-profits, the HOPE VI grant makes possible a project that will bring $200 million in development to Salishan. 

To turn the isolated public housing project into an integrated and vibrant community, the Tacoma Housing Authority will work to develop a number of facilities including:

♦ two 60-unit senior buildings
♦ one or two apartment buildings with approximately 75 units total
♦ a medical and dental clinic facility that addresses the health care needs of low-income    residents
♦ a daycare facility
♦ local retail space of approximately 5,000 to 8,000 square feet
♦ a large outdoor civic space that will serve as a focal point and meeting spot for the 
   neighborhood core 

The impacts of the Salishan project are expected to extend beyond the physical neighborhood, as a critical mass of new home construction should be a dynamic catalyst for investment and development in this area of Tacoma.