Are new homes coming to Gig Harbor North? Here’s what we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- City and county review multiple residential projects in Gig Harbor North and other areas.
- Developers propose single-family and multifamily builds in permit applications.
- City sets development code and approves permits for projects consistent with code.
Are high-density homes and apartments in Gig Harbor’s future?
The city, which has nearly quadrupled in population from 1991 to 2022, has slowed its growth in recent years but continues to face the issue of needing more housing for its growing community.
Recent posts on Gig Harbor community Facebook pages expressing concern about rumored developments have collectively garnered hundreds of comments, questioning how projects have been allowed and whether infrastructure is in place to support them.
Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber addressed concerns about the city’s growth in remarks at the city council meeting on Oct. 13.
“As a city, we cannot simply prohibit growth,” she said. “Doing so would be unconstitutional and contrary to those protected property rights. What we can do is manage growth thoughtfully under the Growth Management Act. That means guiding where and how development occurs, investing in infrastructure, and protecting the character and natural beauty that make Gig Harbor special.”
Several developments at varying stages of progress are on the city’s radar, including in Gig Harbor North and just outside city limits. Here’s what the city’s Community Development Director and a representative for Gig Harbor-based developer The Rush Companies said about the projects under review.
What proposed developments have been confirmed?
A reporter spoke with Gig Harbor Community Development Director Eric Baker and Rush Residential Vice President Scott Walker about some of the major residential projects that have been proposed in the Gig Harbor area. Not all of the projects are within city limits, and the list is not meant to be comprehensive.
Gig Harbor North Annex
In September, a Rush Companies applicant submitted a preliminary short plat application to subdivide land from 11303 to 11311 Canterwood Blvd. N., according to records in the city’s public permit portal. The Gig Harbor North Annex Short Plat proposes to establish two parcels for future development and three tracts to preserve parts of the surrounding environment.
“Proposed Lot 1, the larger development parcel to the north, is the more immediate focus with development plans being prepared for multifamily apartments consistent” with density targets of 12 to 32 units per acre and zoning for the area, as outlined in the city’s adopted 2024 Comprehensive Plan, the plat application says. The city’s Comprehensive Plan outlines the broad strokes of how the city plans to manage growth in the next 20 years, as required by the state.
“Lot 2, the smaller eastern parcel is being considered for medical office or senior living convenient to the adjacent hospital. In the alternative, additional residential units may be added,” the application continues.
Subdivision of land is early in the development process, said Gig Harbor Community Development Director Eric Baker.
“ ... outside of the subdivision process, which, again, is not going to allow anybody to put (in) the hammer and nails, pretty much it’s just going to indicate here are the lots in which someone can come in at a later date and propose a project,” he said.
In a phone call Thursday, Scott Walker, vice president of Rush Residential, described the Gig Harbor North Annex site as “a piece of property which we are looking into different uses for.”
Summit Pointe (Burnham Heights)
Listings were expected to go live this month for a 56 single-family home community called Burnham Heights, the Rush website indicates. The application for the project, named Summit Pointe in permit records, says that the community will be accessed from 112th Street South and will include an internal private road to lots within the community.
The homes will be served by Washington Water Service and the city will provide sewer service, the application said. The area is zoned R-2, which is medium-density residential, and spans just over 16 acres, according to the city’s website.
Baker said he understands the developer to be completing site improvements on the project, which are “the roads, the grading, the lots, putting in the sewer, water, all of that.” Once they’ve done that, they can move to getting a final plat, which is the document that creates the lots and allows a developer to sell them, he said. The city hearing examiner has already delivered the conditions of approval for the project and final plat approval is more an “administrative exercise,” he said.
Walker said that Rush purchased the property about four years ago. They expect to start building single-family homes there in the next 30 days, he said Thursday.
Rosedale Plat
The city received an application in 2022 from Texas-based company, Gig Holding Company, LLC, for a subdivision of just over 38 acres of land into a single-family home development east of Gig Harbor High School and north of Rosedale Street, permit records show. The initial proposal for the Rosedale Preliminary Plat was to create 31 lots in the area, which is zoned R-1 for single-family residential.
The access would be off of Rosedale Street, and the city would provide water and sewer services, the application says.
Since then, the city has received word of a potential buyer who “may be doing something different with the property, maybe fewer lots, maybe a different lot configuration,” Baker said. “That all is very early in the process. Ultimately, that is going to need to go before the hearing examiner for a public hearing.”
He added that the city accepts “written comment at any point during the process, but there will be an opportunity for verbal testimony at some point along the line.” At this point, it’s not clear yet when that will be, he said.
Burnham Ridge Subdivision
A Rush representative applied to Pierce County in 2021 for a 20-lot single family residential subdivision, county permit records show. The site address is 10202 Burnham Dr. NW. The city would provide sewer and water service, and Peninsula Light Company would provide electricity, the application for a preliminary plat says.
“ ... we’re actually underway with development now, so it’s already been permitted and approved and we’re doing grading, moving dirt and so on,” Rush Residential Vice President Walker said. “So that’ll be ready kind of mid- to late next year for single-family homes.”
Trailside Apartments
County permit records show that Rush has applied to build an apartment complex called Trailside Apartments at 5730 Baker Way Northwest. Commercial construction applications submitted in April request to build several three-story apartment buildings. A site plan included in Gig Harbor records for a utility extension agreement indicates a total of 120 units.
Walker confirmed that the project on Canterwood Boulevard and Baker Way Northwest is one of Rush’s projects but said another Rush employee would be better suited to answer questions about it, because Walker chiefly works with single-family developments. That employee did not immediately respond to requests for comment via email Thursday.
What about infrastructure?
Asked how Rush thinks about the infrastructure to support the new residential developments they’re working on, Walker said that they meet with the local jurisdiction for the area and check that their initial project concept aligns with allowed uses for the land.
Then they work with utility service providers including water, sewer and power and ensure “that they all, in their infrastructure they have built, have the capacity to support the planned use for it,” he said.
“We evaluate it from a need,” he later continued. “I mean, the community needs more affordable housing. The community needs more housing. The community needs more shelter so we believe we’re filling a critical need just like anybody else that has a company.”
He noted that the public has the ability to provide input when local rules and regulations are established.
“ ... we really encourage people to get involved early on in the planning that goes on for the community, which these things may have been approved five, 10, 20 years ago,” he said.
What authority does the city have to determine projects?
Baker said the city’s role in managing growth starts with the “legislative decisions” made by the city council. These include the residential density targets in the city’s adopted Comprehensive Plan and the corresponding updates to the city’s development codes. The state also has required quantities and types of housing that jurisdictions have to accommodate to account for their future growth; those numbers come to the city from the county, he said.
Then, the city completes a capital facilities plan which is adopted along with the Comprehensive Plan. That plan outlines what road, water, sewer and other improvements are necessary to accommodate the number of residents projected for an area, he said.
The city can’t deny projects just because they don’t want them, he said. If they are consistent with city code, they have to go through the permitting process and if they meet the appropriate criteria, they must be “approved” or “approved with conditions.”
“That’s where a lot of the projects we’ve talked about are kind of in,” Baker said. “They are in the process of applying for permits consistent with city code, and if they are consistent with city code, we can condition projects to make sure that we’re addressing potential impacts, but it is very difficult to deny them again if they are meeting the required city codes.”
The city also can’t turn their backs on growth because they’re a service provider for the larger region outside city limits, he explained. Many people who don’t live in the city come to the city for the services there.
“Obviously, we walk and talk like a small town in a lot of ways, and we have really great small town character,” he said. “However, we also have major regional draws, such as the hospital, the YMCA, Costco, Uptown, movie theater, all the things that people outside the city and in many ways outside of Pierce County ... come into Gig Harbor for these services.”
Another agreement could also affect the city’s influence over projects nearby but not inside city limits. Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber said in her mayor’s report at the council meeting Monday that the city is working on an Interlocal Agreement with Pierce County that could allow the city to enforce their zoning on developments in the city’s Urban Growth Area.
“This means these property owners will need to abide by our city code for design and more,” Barber said. “It also creates a way for the city to collect impact fees from these developments; the same developments that support our infrastructure and our residents. We are about halfway through this process and once approved, we will have more say on the decisions being within the UGA.”
Baker told The News Tribune that the details of the agreement haven’t been fleshed out yet, and that “it probably is a 2026 conversation.” He added that it will likely be of interest to the new city council members joining the council after the Nov. 4 general election.
