Former NFL player’s luxurious Tacoma rental home draws concerns, support from neighbors

TACOMA, Wash. — A former UW Husky and NFL player’s luxurious Tacoma rental home is drawing concerns and support from neighbors in the community.

Desmond Trufant, a former star cornerback for the Huskies and Atlanta Falcons, purchased a home on 10th Street in Tacoma in 2018.

Since then, he has turned the house into a luxurious short-term rental, which is currently marketed under The Sunset Estate.

The house is available for special occasions like weddings and gatherings.

According to the City of Tacoma, Trufant is following all city codes.

“I’m following every rule that the City has told me to do. I have my license. Anything I do, I’m within laws,” Trufant said.

However, his house is drawing some concerns from a few neighbors.

A woman, who did not want to be identified, said the short-term rental initially created traffic and parking issues.

“At first, it was not good. Parking was on both sides. It was very dangerous to pull out of the driveway because you can’t see if any cars are coming up the street or down the street because of the cars,” she said.

However, since then, she said the large events now affect her family’s privacy as people are taking pictures of the Narrows Bridge in the backyard, which directly overlooks her property.

“We don’t like it. It takes away our privacy. As you know our house is directly below,” she said. “If we want to sell our house, it would be a little bit hard to sell our home. People don’t want that going on in your backyard.”

But other neighbors supported Trufant’s business, including Mark Kastenbaum, who lives next to Trufant’s home.

Trufant has been a kind neighbor, he added.

“He told me exactly that he’s going to construct a house. I felt good because he kept me informed,” he said. “I have never ever had any issues with the house and different events going on.”

Kastenbaum, who’s lived in his home since the 1970s, said he has enjoyed meeting the different types of crowds that the rental property brings.

“Everything seems to be winding down at a good hour, nine, 10 or so. That’s kind of neat,” he added.

KIRO 7 News spoke with Trufant about some of the neighbors’ concerns.

“I get it to a certain extent,” he said, however, he explained that the area has always seen traffic issues before he had purchased his home six years ago.

“This is pretty much a landmark area. People want to see the sunset. They want to see the Narrows Bridge and take pictures. People walk across the bridge. This area, there’s already a lot of traffic,” he said.

Trufant said he hosts a number of his charity events at his home, including fundraisers that have raised more than $150,000 to support underprivileged kids in Tacoma.

“We target high school kids that are trying to go to college. They might not have the resources, or they come from a family background that’s not the best circumstances, but they’re still thriving. They’re still getting good grades. They’re great people. Great in their sports,” he explained.

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