Pierce County to invest $12.2 million in nearly 650 affordable rental units
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- Pierce County allocated $12.2M to support 650 new or preserved rental units.
- Largest share, $7M, funds Cedar Flats project with 276 family-focused units.
- Funds come from 2024 budget via housing sales taxes like the Maureen Howard Act.
Pierce County is investing more than $12 million to help create and maintain nearly 650 affordable-housing units in Buckley, DuPont, Fife and South Hill.
On Sept. 2 the Pierce County Council unanimously approved a $12.2 million funding recommendation from the Pierce County Executive’s office for four different affordable housing projects.
The Cedar Flats project in unincorporated Pierce County between South Hill and Frederickson will receive $7 million. According to the county, the development at 8012 170th St. E in Puyallup will create 276 units, all with at least two bedrooms and 40% having three or four bedrooms.
The project will have a covered playground, movie room, computer lab, electric vehicle charging stations, community rooms and recreation space. According to county documents, it will have the capacity to house 1,050 people.
According to Libby Catalinich, spokesperson for the Pierce County Executive’s office, the full cost of the project is estimated at $108,906,121. Macdonald Ladd Development LLC is developing the project, which will be financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credit Equity, Tax Exempt Bond Financing and other private sources.
The county also will invest $5 million to refinance and rehabilitate Chateau Rainier, an existing 248-unit building in Fife currently owned by Pierce County Housing Authority (PCHA).
According to the county, the project is “naturally affordable,” and PCHA would add 76 project-based housing vouchers to the property to deepen its affordability. It also includes 96 units for 30% Area Median Income (AMI). According to Pierce County, the region’s Area Median Income is about $98,200 per household.
County documents say the complex needs “significant capital repairs after 30 plus years in service.” Those repairs include new roofs, windows, siding, stairwells, asphalt and sidewalks, lighting and security, and interior unit upgrades such as new appliances, flooring and countertops. Tenant relocation would be required for those renovations.
County documents also note Sound Transit’s recently selected preferred route for the Tacoma Dome Light Rail extension runs through the southern edge of the property.
“County staff is in communication with PCHA, Sound Transit, and other funders about potential impacts to the project and its timeline,” the document states.
Catalinich told The News Tribune the full project is estimated to cost $115,006,273. According to the county, the PCHA project at 4600 16th St. E in Fife will be financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credit Equity, Tax Exempt Bond Financing and other private sources.
The county is investing $166,800 into the acquisition and rehabilitation of three separate 3-bedroom single-family homes in the Buckley area to operate as group homes and rent to nine tenants with intellectual or developmental disabilities and income at or below 30% AMI.
According to the county, Foundation for the Challenge will partner with the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Administration for referrals, eligibility determinations and services for the homes. Tenants will receive 24/7 in-home support services from the State Operating Living Alternatives.
Rehabilitation work on the homes will focus on accessibility with roll-in showers, wider door thresholds, ADA locksets, wheelchair ramping with level entries, and engineered hardwood flooring for easier mobility.
According to the county, the projects in Fife and Buckley have units set aside for households at 30% AMI, ensuring availability for people earning annual incomes as low as $25,400.
Catalinich told The News Tribune the full project is estimated to cost $3,195,099 and is being funded by the Washington State Housing Trust Fund. According to the county, the homes will be scattered in multiple locations with those locations yet to be determined.
The county will invest $69,752 into development of the Fairway at DuPont project. The project will include 113 new affordable housing units serving 60% AMI, ranging from two-to four-bedroom units.
Catalinich told The News Tribune the full project is estimated to cost $52,304,059. The MacDonald Ladd Development LLC development at 900 Garry Oaks Ave in DuPont will be financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credit Equity, Tax Exempt Bond Financing and other private sources.
Six other projects applied to receive funding in communities such as Orting, Lakewood and Parkland. According to county documents, other projects were prioritized due to their ability to leverage other funding and because they will create more units of housing than other applicants.
The $12,236,552 is not considered to have a fiscal impact as it was funding made available in the previous biennial budget passed in 2024. The funding was made available from housing and related services sales tax funds such as the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act fund.
Named for the late housing advocate Maureen Howard, the fund is supported by a one-tenth of 1% sales tax in Pierce County, equivalent to 10 cents for every $100 spent. It is designed to support housing projects and services for residents in need, including seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The county’s Housing Action Strategy, published in 2022, estimated the region would need to produce on average 2,300 units per year of housing affordable at or below 50% of AMI through the year 2044 to fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents.
According to the county, the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing sales tax has supported the creation, development, or preservation of 1,387 units of affordable housing in just over two years.
This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
