New downtown Puyallup parking lot planned. Council approves $572K for public lot
The Puyallup City Council unanimously authorized funds for the construction of a new public parking lot.
About $572,000 in Tier III funds will be used for the construction of the West Meeker Public Parking Lot Project. These funds are excess revenue that can be used for one-time capital projects. The council made the decision at its May 5 meeting.
The lot will be located on a city-owned parcel at 313 W. Meeker, Puyallup city spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune via email.
“There was a house on the property that was torn down in 2021 when the City took possession of the property after being purchased in 2005. The property has been vacant since then,” he wrote.
The city purchased the property for $125,000. After the city purchased the property, they signed a Life Estate Agreement with the former owner that allowed him to live in his home until he died in 2021. The city then took possession of the property, Johnson said.
Now that funding has been approved, Johnson wrote that staff will work on a bid document package and request bids from contractors to do the construction.
Johnson said the parking lot is anticipated to have:
- 14 paved parking spaces, including one van accessible space, six standard spaces, and seven compact spaces
- Stormwater mitigation facilities
- Parking lot lighting
- Necessary utility connection and replacements
- Fencing
- Landscaping and irrigation
- Sidewalk/street replacements for new access points to the parcel
The city is building the parking lot to help accommodate growth in the downtown area from the Cornforth-Campbell and AOB lot development projects nearby.
The Cornforth-Campbell project is a revitalization project at 115 Second St. SE in the downtown area. A developer has plans to build 115 apartments, nine townhomes, and a food hall as part of the project, The News Tribune reported.
The proposed AOB lot development project is expected to bring more than 100 apartments to downtown Puyallup at 330 Third St. SW.
Johnson said the AOB project is under building permit review. The Cornforth-Campbell project is in land-use permitting.
The city hopes to have the Meeker parking lot project completed by the end of September 2026, emergency manager Kirstin Hofmann told The News Tribune via email.
