Latest news with #HousingActionStrategy
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pierce County one of a few selected for national housing program. What will it do?
Pierce County recently announced it is one of a few counties in the nation selected to be a part of a national program to increase housing supply. The county says after the 12-week program it will have 'implementation-ready plans' to create much-needed housing in the region. 'Pierce County is excited to be just one of six counties selected to participate in this national program,' said County Executive Ryan Mello. 'The scale of our housing shortage requires us to do things differently. We're bringing folks together from multiple departments to tackle housing affordability and speed the pace of development, particularly among our high-density transit corridors.' The program is the second national cohort of Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS), from the National Association of Counties (NACo), designed to increase housing supply in urban counties. Moore said the county will not receive any funding through the program, but would receive consulting services through a third party. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Gates Foundation. NACo launched C4HS to help counties implement recommendations from NACo's 2023 Housing Task Force, convened with the goal of addressing America's housing crisis. According to the county, the goal is implementing strategies to increase housing supply, bring down rents and create a pathway to upward economic mobility for American families. Over a 12-week period, representatives from the Pierce County Council, Human Services and Facilities Management departments will work to develop underutilized, county-owned land for affordable housing. The plan begins with identifying available land and evaluating sites. Next comes community engagement and partnering with potential developers. The process will also include identifying financing to support the planned housing development. Human Services Spokesperson Kari Moore told The News Tribune the program will use a cohort of seven teams selected to work together to increase affordable housing supply and build capacity to assess affordable housing opportunities on publicly owned land. The teams will meet weekly. 'It comes with access to partners at Smart Growth America and offers a technical assistance sprint with a suite of implementation-ready plans to address site selection, zoning, financing, affordability requirements, community engagement and developer procurement,' she said. Smart Growth America is a non-profit coalition of housing advocates. Moore said the program will help facilitate collaborative development of plans the county can use to increase its housing stock, and will provide the best practices and solutions that have proven successful for other counties. 'This will help us build skills to bring more tools to our marketplace on housing solutions that benefit everyone,' she told The News Tribune. Pierce County's Housing Action Strategy estimates the region will need 110,000 new units in Pierce County by 2044 to meet the housing needs of residents. 'To fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents, the county needs to produce, on average, over 2,300 units per year of housing affordable at or below 50% of area median income through the year 2044,' the county's Housing Action Strategy published in 2022 found. 'Over half of these units are needed for households at 30% of AMI or below.' According to Pierce County, the region's area median income is around $98,200 per household.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
56 units of housing to remain affordable thanks to Pierce County investment
Pierce County has helped purchase nearly 60 units of housing in the Parkland-Spanaway area as part of a greater effort to preserve and create affordable housing in the region. Hidden Firs is a 56-unit apartment community at 15008 A St. S. According to Pierce County Human Services spokesperson Kari Moore, the longtime owners of Hidden Firs wanted to sell the property to an organization that would preserve it as affordable housing. The Pierce County Housing Authority (PCHA) and private real-estate partner Kidder Mathews saw the opportunity to acquire the complex. Moore said PCHA applied for funding through the 2024 Rental Housing funding opportunity last spring and was awarded more than $892,000 toward the purchase of the property. The funding was a part of a $17 million collective investment in affordable housing announced by the county in March and was made possible by sales-tax revenue generated by the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Fund. In 2023, the Pierce County Council approved the sales tax, which collects one-tenth of 1% of sales to leverage additional revenue for affordable-housing investments. The tax was named after Maureen Howard, a prominent advocate for the homeless in Tacoma who died in January 2023. Before the purchase, PCHA determined that no major rehabilitation work nor displacement of current tenants would be required, making it a turn-key, acquisition-only project. Moore said the 'readiness' of the project was an incentive for the county to invest in its preservation. According to Moore, the purchase price for Hidden Firs totaled $10.3 million. 'With 56 total units, that comes out to an average cost of roughly $180,000 per unit,' Moore told The News Tribune. 'By comparison, proposals for new construction projects of affordable housing in the last couple years have averaged about $500,000 per unit.' She said the county estimated a new construction project of 56 units could be expected to cost roughly $28 million. 'While we know that we need to create many units of affordable housing to meet the needs of our community [according to data from Housing Action Strategy], we recognize that preserving existing affordable housing is also important,' Moore wrote in an email to The News Tribune. 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 area median income (AMI) through the year 2044 to fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents. According to Pierce County, the region's Area Median Income is about $98,200 per household. According to Pierce County's Human Services Department, the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Fund has contributed to the creation of 741 affordable housing units since it was created in 2023. As of March 27, 253 of those units are completed, 227 are under construction, and 261 are in the development pipeline. Meili Cady, a spokesperson for Kidder Mathews, said the property would maintain lower rents through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding and vouchers. 'Each resident's rents will be lower than previously existing,' Cady told The News Tribune. 'The specific amount or percentage that the rent will be lowered varies based on the specific individual's income.' Hidden Firs is a low-density, tree-lined community spanning two acres. The community is in the unincorporated community of Parkland and is also on a bus line and within walking distance to grocery stores, a park and other amenities.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$42 million project promising nearly 100 units of affordable housing breaks ground
A $42 million project promising nearly 100 units of affordable housing broke ground in Tacoma this week as part of a push to increase Pierce County's affordable housing inventory. On March 25, development investors and public officials gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction on Viridian Grove. The project at 5228 S. Mason Ave. in Tacoma will provide 98 affordable homes for individuals and families earning 60% or less of the Area Median Income. Tacoma's AMI is $83,857 per household, according to the most recent U.S. Census data from 2023. According to Southport Financial Services, Viridian Grove will offer units with two, three and four bedrooms, intended to serve large and multi-generational families. Austin Hicks, a spokesperson for Southport Financial Services, told The News Tribune monthly rents at the development will be around $1,541 for a two-bedroom, $1,767 for a three-bedroom, and $1,960 for a four-bedroom. 'These are based on the 60% AMI for 2025, so they are subject to change over the next 12 months between now and when the project delivers,' Hicks told The News Tribune. 'According to Southport's market study for the project, it puts the average Viridian Grove unit around $450 less than average market rents.' Viridian Grove was supported by a $2 million investment from Pierce County's Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Fund. The project also received $2 million in local affordable housing funding from the City of Tacoma. The Maureen Howard Affordable Housing fund was established in 2023 to provide a dedicated county funding source to support affordable housing projects, rental assistance and permanent supportive housing initiatives. Viridian Grove is one of several affordable housing projects that recently received a collective $17 million from the Pierce County fund. In an interview with The News Tribune, Paul Fortino, a partner with Southport Financial Services, said the Maureen Howard investment can be the 'magic bullet' needed to push these kinds of projects over the finish line. Fortino said the current housing market is compounded by several factors that disincentivize the development of affordable housing despite the overwhelming demand for more units. In 2024, Bryan Schmid, affordable housing supervisor for Pierce County, said the county's goal is to use the new revenue to help fund the construction, renovation or acquisition of 1,700 units of affordable housing over the next six years — an anticipated 300 units per year. 'To fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents, the county needs to produce, on average, over 2,300 units per year of housing affordable at or below 50% of area median income (AMI) through the year 2044,' the county's Housing Action Strategy of 2022 found. 'Over half of these units are needed for households at 30% of AMI or below.' According to Pierce County's Human Services Department, the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Fund has contributed to the creation of 741 affordable housing units since it was created in 2023. As of March 27, 253 of those units are already completed, 227 are under construction, and 261 are in the development pipeline. According to Pierce County Human Services Spokesperson Kari Moore, the completed units are all at Copper Way Apartments in Spanaway, where all the units are for households making 60% AMI. The Viridian Grove project is expected to be completed by July 2026.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pierce County to spend $17M raised from new sales tax on affordable housing. Here's where
Pierce County has announced $17 million in affordable-housing investments made possible by revenue from the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Sales Tax. In 2023, the Pierce County Council approved the sales tax that collected one-tenth of 1% of sales to leverage additional revenue for affordable-housing investments. The tax was named after Maureen Howard, a prominent advocate for the homeless in Tacoma who died in January 2023. Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello advocated for the sales tax when he was on the Pierce County Council. In an interview, Mello told The News Tribune he remembered telling Howard the county was going to name the tax after her. He said while she passed away just months before the tax came into effect, he is proud to be able to carry on her legacy as a housing advocate through affordable-housing investments. Mello said even though the $17 million investment covers a diverse range of projects across a broad scope, it is just a drop in the bucket, as many more affordable-housing units will need to be built in the coming decades. 'To fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents, the county needs to produce, on average, over 2,300 units per year of housing affordable at or below 50% of area median income (AMI) through the year 2044,' the county's Housing Action Strategy of 2022 found. 'Over half of these units are needed for households at 30% of AMI or below.' According to Pierce County, the region's Area Median Income is around $98,200 per household. The round of investments announced by the county March 4 will account for more than 350 affordable-housing units. Habitat For Humanity will receive $1.1 million for the purchase and rehabilitation of 20 single family homes owned by Pierce County Housing Authority. The homes are on scattered sites throughout Pierce County but mainly in the Spanaway-Parkland area. The homes will be sold to first-time home buyers earning up to 80% AMI. Habitat For Humanity's restricted resale model will ensure the homes remain permanently affordable. Homeownership Center of Tacoma will receive $139,132 for construction of two new single-family homes on two parcels in Lakewood that are owned by the Homeownership Center. According to the county, those two homes will be adjacent to each other and represent the first of two phases for this project that ultimately will total six single-family homes. These homes will be sold to first time home-buyer households earning up to 80% AMI. Mercy Housing Northwest will receive more than $3.6 million for development of 80 units of affordable housing near the planned Bus Rapid Transit corridor. Units will be available for households earning less than 60% of AMI, with 20% of units set aside for families with a disability. According to the county, the project will have a no-cost food market, as well as a community room and shared outdoor green space with walking trails. Pierce County Housing Authority will receive $892,857 for acquisition of an affordable-housing building in Parkland with 56 units. According to the county, this acquisition will maintain the long-term affordability of these units and prevent displacement. The building, known as Hidden Firs, is near Sprinker Recreation Center, Spanaway Lake Park, and walking distance to two grocery stores. Urban Black Community Development will receive $ 1 million for acquisition and rehabilitation of three historic buildings in downtown Tacoma to preserve 78 affordable housing units, which are primarily studios and one-bedrooms for 50% or below AMI. Bridge Meadows will receive $5.5 million for development of 60 new affordable housing units serving households earning less than 60% of AMI. Pierce County described the project as a mix of 44 units for seniors and 16 town homes for families with children who have experienced the foster-care system. The project is planned to have supportive services, community rooms, garden, and therapy spaces, on Tacoma's Eastside near Stewart Heights Park. Beacon Development Group and Greater Christ Temple Church are to receive more than $4.6 million for development of 65 new affordable-housing units for seniors earning less than 50% of AMI. The site is owned by Greater Christ Temple Church in Hilltop near downtown Tacoma at 21st Street and South Yakima Avenue. According to the county, 13 units will be set aside for permanent supportive housing to assist those experiencing homelessness. There are also plans to partner with Pierce County Department of Aging and Disabilities Services to provide housing referrals to the site and case management for residents. Planned amenities include an exercise room, computer room, coffee bar, bistro, community room and outdoor space. Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare will receive $33,000 for operation and support of the Cedars apartment complex, which consists of 15 studio apartments for single adults with a mental illness and earning less than 30% AMI. AHAT Homecare will receive $116,000 for operation and support of two adult family homes for low-income individuals living with HIV and AIDS. The projects are known as Three Cedars and Project Open Door.
