Lexie Brown Tackles 10-Unit Duplex Project
From left to right: John Hines (City of Tacoma Council Member), Reggie Brown and Lexie Brown.
The Lawrence Street development, led by Louis Rudolph Homes, transforms a vacant lot into five carefully designed stacked duplexes that prioritize homeownership opportunities. Project Manager Lexie Brown—founder of the emerging firm Alexandria Construction—is helping bring this 10-unit project to life, demonstrating how thoughtful planning can deliver both affordability and quality design.
Lexie brings five years of development experience to the project, having delivered seven developments focused on expanding homeownership in underrepresented communities. After graduating from University of Washington, she made the jump to real estate during the pandemic and now balances her role at Louis Rudolph Homes with running Alexandria Construction, while also serving as a current fellow in LISC's Housing Equity Accelerator program focused on affordable housing development in the Puget Sound region.
Innovative Design for Everyday Living
Lawrence Street reimagines the duplex. Each three-story building includes a one-bedroom home on the ground floor and a two-bedroom unit above, stacked to create flexible options on a compact footprint. The mix of unit sizes supports households at different life stages, from first-time buyers to growing families.
“We wanted to create homes that serve real families with real needs, that meant thinking about how people actually live and build wealth, not just how many units we could fit.”
Exterior view of the Lawrence Street stacked duplexes under construction.
Navigating Challenges, Building Smarter
Like many urban redevelopment projects, Lawrence Street came with buried technical curveballs. Midway through construction, a structural requirement surfaced that didn't fit the site's design, quickly escalating from a small detail into a major coordination issue that revealed gaps between engineering choices and real-world constructability.
Rather than push through misaligned plans, Lexie seized the moment to reevaluate the project's design, recognizing how early miscommunication could disrupt timelines and inflate budgets.
“Lawrence made me learn fast, and I’m glad it did, it set a new bar. It also showed me how critical it is to have a design team that truly understands your vision and the specific needs of your project. That kind of alignment saves time, money, and a lot of stress.”
- Lexie Brown
Building Wealth Through Homeownership
With completion expected by late summer 2025, the Lawrence Street development represents a step toward a more inclusive future for homeownership in Tacoma. Partnering with organizations like the Black Home Initiative (BHI), the development team is conducting early outreach to help prospective buyers get connected before construction wraps.
“It was just a vacant lot, now it’s 10 homes people can own”
From left to right: Lexie Brown, John Hines (City of Tacoma Council Member) and Reggie Brown.
About 1DROP
1DROP is a collective of underrepresented real estate developers addressing the Puget Sound housing crisis. We are committed to empowering underrepresented developers to build housing for all wages, all stages, and all ages while growing access to generational in.
1DROP achieves its mission by, externally:
Advocating for funding for underrepresented developers and their projects.
Advocating for policy solutions that enable more housing.
And internally by providing:
Apprenticeships for aspiring underrepresented developers.
Co-development for emerging underrepresented developers.
Mentorship, networking, resources and support services for all underrepresented developers.
For those inspired to learn more or get involved in supporting equitable housing, visit 1DROP's website to explore our initiatives and join us in making an impact.
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