Spanaway Lake homeless village gets permit approval from county. What’s next?
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- Pierce County approved permits, releasing $22M for Spanaway homeless village.
- Good Neighbor Village will provide 250 cottage homes for chronically unhoused.
- Project faces local opposition over environmental impacts and resident concerns.
A unique but controversial project intended to house nearly 300 chronically homeless individuals near Spanaway Lake has received permit approval from Pierce County.
The approval is the final contingency required by Pierce County in order for it to obligate more than $22 million towards the project.
The permits mark a beginning to the construction phase of the project and the end to a highly contentious process of approval.
The project, called the Good Neighbor Village, will be owned and operated by Tacoma Rescue Mission — one of Pierce County’s largest homeless shelter operators.
On Aug. 18, Tacoma Rescue Mission announced the Pierce County Planning Department had officially approved the site development permit for the project.
The village promises to bring 250 cottage homes to serve as permanent housing for chronically homeless individuals who have been unhoused for more than 10 years. Residents will be required to work and pay rent as a condition of living in the village and roughly 35 volunteers and employees will live there to provide 24/7 support, according to Tacoma Rescue Mission.
The idea for the village was heavily advocated for by former Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier and Republican county council members, but was met by protests from residents who live near the project.
Tacoma Rescue Mission purchased 89 acres of land as a site for the village in between Spanaway Lake and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. A group called Spanaway Concerned Citizens has been opposed to the project and has raised concerns about its potential impact on adjacent wetlands and wildlife.
Paul Lubbesmeyer, who lives close to the project and has served as a spokesperson for Spanaway Concerned Citizens, did not respond to The News Tribune’s request for comment regarding the village’s recent permit approval.
Spanaway Concerned Citizens hired environmental lawyers to make a case against the project during a lengthy Pierce County Land Use Examiner’s Hearing. While the lawyers made arguments the project would have adverse impacts on nearby wetlands, could impact protected species and might include inappropriate land uses, the hearing examiner ultimately decided to approve the project.
Before the hearing examiner’s decision, Tacoma Rescue Mission director Duke Paulson told The News Tribune it would be a “gut punch” if the project was rejected.
In a recent interview with The News Tribune, Paulson said despite the opposition, he and the rest of Tacoma Rescue Mission are steadfast in their efforts to create the village.
“The concept of who we are serving and why, I am even more committed to,” he said. “I am more excited now than when we started.”
Paulson said the village, modeled after a project in Austin, Texas, will be a unique permanent housing option for chronically homeless individuals in Pierce County. Residents at the village will be carefully vetted to make sure they are the right fit, with an emphasis on finding residents that are elderly, veterans, and may have disabilities.
“We haven’t seen anything like that in Washington until now,” he said.
While Paulson said community concerns about the type of people that will reside in the village were “hard to hear,” he remains committed to the surrounding community as partners in this project.
He recalled hearing concerns from neighbors about the safety of their children or fears about their home being broken into, all rooted in presumptions about the unhoused.
Paulson told The News Tribune the people who will reside in the village are looking for their own dignity, privacy and peace after living on the streets for many years and will not be looking to cause trouble in the surrounding area.
“Some people will never understand that until they see it happen in front of them,” he said.
Paulson said Tacoma Rescue Mission will be looking to build relationships with local community organizations to get them involved with the Good Neighbor Village and perhaps even help construct some of the homes.
Tacoma Rescue Mission expects the village to be able to house some of its first residents by Fall 2026.
With the release of more than $22 million in county funds, Tacoma Rescue Mission says the Good Neighbor Village is now set to begin work on essential infrastructure — roads, sewer, water systems and community facilities.
The cost of the project is estimated at more than $62 million and is projected to cost $3.2 million annually to operate upon its expected completion in 2029, according to project materials.
This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
