(The Center Square) – Pierce County has created or preserved 1,387 new units of affordable housing in just over two years, but still needs 49,213 units to reach its ambitious 2044 goal.
On Tuesday, the Pierce County Council approved $12.2 million in funding for four housing projects that will create or preserve 646 units of affordable housing. The funding comes from the 2023 Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act, which established a one-tenth of 1% sales tax. For every $100 spent, 10 cents goes toward affordable housing.
“In just two years, this fund has generated tens of millions of dollars, turning ideas into real homes for families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities across our communities,” Pierce County Council Chair Jani Hitchen said in a statement. “This is a model for what providing public, private, and partnered paths to safe, stable housing can look like.”
Pierce County has prioritized affordable housing and established a Housing Action Strategy that found at least 50,600 housing units at 50% of the area median income must be built by 2044. Over half of those units must be affordable to households earning 30% or less of the area median income.
The 1,387 new housing units over two years means Pierce County has roughly 98% of the way to go until it hits the 2044 goal.
The four awarded projects serve households at or below 60% of the area median income, meaning household of four with a total income of $72,480 or below qualify.
The projects serve county residents in South Hill, Buckley, Fife and DuPont. The Cedar Flats project in South Hill is receiving the majority of the $12.2 million allocation, with $7 million for new construction of 276 family-sized units.’
The projects in Fife and Buckley have units set aside for households at 30% of the area median income for residents earning annual incomes as low as $25,400.
