New apartments planned for lot in downtown Puyallup. What does that mean for parking?
A proposed development that would bring more than 100 apartments to downtown Puyallup is one step closer to reality.
During a March 11 City Council meeting, the developer shared a presentation to the council about what they plan to do with the “AOB Lot” — a 1-acre parcel of land at 330 Third St. SW behind the Puyallup Public Library, where the city’s administrative office building used to be. Today the site is a public parking lot.
The developer — Urban Olympia — wants to buy the land from the city for $1.9 million and build a mixed-use building with 138 apartments and retail space on the bottom. They are planning for the building to be five stories, though that could change during design and permitting.
What would the new apartments in downtown Puyallup look like?
Ron Thomas, the president of the architecture studio involved in the project, said at the meeting that there would be roughly 35 apartments on each floor and that they would be a mix of studios, 1-bedroom apartments and 2-bedroom apartments.
“We are very committed to a building that looks like it’s been, and is going to be, a significant building for many, many decades to come,” Thomas said.
City Council documents for the meeting said that the apartments would be “market rate.” Zillow says the average rent in Puyallup is $2,495 per month. RentCafe says it’s $1,975.
“A lot of our units are studios and studio alcoves. We truly think of those as attainable,” Thomas said. “If you were at 80% of the [Area Median Income] on an affordable unit, you’d be very close to the price of our studio units. So we really do try to get a number of units that are attainable to work-force housing.”
A one-person household making 80% of the area median income brings home about $64,900 a year, according to the Tacoma Housing Authority’s website.
Urban Olympia has designed and built similar mixed-use projects in downtown Olympia. Thomas said the company has recently built about 600 to 700 apartments, with another 600 to 700 apartments planned.
What did Puyallup council members say about the project?
Five council members said at the meeting that they had gone to Olympia to see the developer’s work. They praised the appearance and design of their other buildings.
“I was blown away by the beauty,” council member Renne Gilliam said. “If this is what it’s going to look like, I’m actually really excited about it.”
Mayor Jim Kastama asked if there were plans for the retail space. The owner of Urban Olympia, Walker John, said that he would prefer the space be used for a restaurant or some other food option, but that there are no specific plans right now.
Council member Dean Johnson said he appreciates much of what this development would bring to downtown Puyallup, but that he would appreciate some condominiums in the building.
“I want to get behind this and cheerleader it and I could and may, but there’s some elements that would move me right into that. I really appreciate apartments, I think they’re wonderful, and they provide a place,” Johnson said. “I tend to like homeownership, where people have skin in the game and they invest in the downtown corridor to buy, not just to rent.”
Johnson said Puyallup already has hundreds of apartments downtown and up the hill and asked John if a handful of condos could be mixed in with the apartments. John said Urban Olympia is not planning condos for the development because it would be too legally risky.
“I went and sat down with my attorney and I said: ‘Why can’t I build condos here?’ and after an hour, I said, ‘I’m not building condos here,’” John said. “You build condos, you get sued, no matter how well you construct it.”
Council member Lauren Adler said that she supported the overall vision for the development, but that she worries about the overall state of parking downtown.
“Until we get to a point in our community where there are more options for different modes of transportation and better transit options, we will continue to see folks in their cars and they will need places to park their cars,” Adler said.
The city says there are currently 103 parking spaces on the lot. The City Council meeting documents say Urban Olympia would pay about $295,000 for roadway and parking improvements on the block as part of the project. Those improvements would include 29 public parking stalls, a new curb, gutter and sidewalk, resurfacing the roadway and new ramps under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Out of the 29 new parking stalls, 20 would be designated for those who visit the nearby Puyallup senior center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“You have put in a good-faith effort to what you would like to do to mitigate the loss of parking and certainly ensuring that those who utilize the (senior) activity center continue to have adequate parking,” Adler said. “But I’m very much concerned about the parking infrastructure that we have in downtown Puyallup and what we will lose.”
What is the history of the AOB Parking Lot?
The city demolished its old offices after they moved to the current City Hall location in 2008, according to the city’s website. They then used the land to make a public parking lot with 103 spaces. Since then, the city has set its sights on redeveloping the lot for housing.
“We’ve been working on this project for a number of years and it’s actually been in a bunch of planning documents — going back to 10, 15, 20 years now — to redevelop that space,” Eric Johnson, the spokesperson for the City of Puyallup, told The News Tribune.
In 2021, a developer agreed to build a four-story building with 66 luxury condominiums on the site called “The Ezra.” The developer — the McBridge-Cohen Management Group — backed out of the plan in 2023, leaving the city to find another developer to build on the property.
The McBridge-Cohen Management Group told The News Tribune at the time that they dropped out due to a mix of economic conditions and problems with the land including soil, stormwater, parking and design requirements.
What’s next?
The City Council unanimously voted to take the next step in making the project a reality, which is putting together a draft development agreement between the city and Urban Olympia.
Eric Johnson told The News Tribune that the city will hold an open house where the public can meet the development team and ask questions about the project. They will also hold a public hearing. Johnson said those aren’t scheduled, yet.
After city staff and the developer get public input, they will return to the council and ask them to approve the development agreement. Johnson said they are aiming to come back to the council for approval in April.
