An Affordable Housing Milestone

By Bryan Dominique
Communications Manager
Office of the Pierce County Council

“[On September 2] the Pierce County Council approved $12.2 million to fund four housing projects that will create or preserve 646 units of affordable housing for individuals and families. The funding comes from revenue generated by the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act, which has supported the creation, development, or preservation of 1,387 units of affordable housing in just over two years.” 

It was just over two years ago — March 21, 2023, to be exact — that the Council issued a news release announcing the approval of the measure (Ordinance 2022-81s), following months of debate, procedural pauses, and negotiations.

Because the Pierce County Charter requires a supermajority, or five of seven votes, for any new tax in Unincorporated Pierce County, the outcome was far from guaranteed and garnered considerable community interest. The Council meeting took six hours to complete due to significant public testimony and engagement 

Now, coming back to 2025. Here is what was funded with the $12.2 million:

• Cedar Flats (South Hill/Frederickson): $7,000,000 for the new construction of 276 family-sized units, with two- to four-bedroom apartments.  
• Chateau Rainier (Fife): $5,000,000 for the rehabilitation of 248 units, preserving affordability for households with extremely low income. 
• FFC Homes XIV (Buckley): $166,800 for the acquisition and rehabilitation of three group homes, providing nine units for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  
• Fairway at Dupont (Dupont): $69,752 for the new construction of 113 family-sized affordable units near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. 

The projects in Fife and Buckley have units set aside for households at 30% AMI, ensuring availability for residents earning annual incomes as low as $25,400.

Pierce County. (2025, September 3). Pierce County surpasses 1,300 new affordable housing units in two years. Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://www.piercecountywa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=6961

Looking back, as of March 2025, the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act fund had generated more than $23 million in revenue. Of that, about $17 million had already been awarded to projects. In addition, approximately $25.6 million in Maureen Howard funds was released through public Notices of Funding Availability across 2024 and 2025, amounting to about $13.4 million in 2024 and the $12.2 million this year.

And now this milestone: 1,387 units of affordable housing in just over two years. 

It is with milestones like this that Pierce County continues to make measurable progress on affordable housing, but it still remains a priority for the Council, and the body’s efforts did not begin or end with the passage of the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act. 

For instance, the Council adopted the County’s Housing Action Strategy in 2022, appropriated $2.75 million to the Pierce County Community Development Corporation in 2023, with the passage of the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget, to establish a self-sustaining, affordable housing development and preservation rapid acquisition program, and in 2024, it adopted a Comprehensive Plan with affordable housing as one of its priority areas.

Much remains to be done. Yet, through bipartisan action, the Pierce County Council established this funding source and continues to provide legislative leadership and oversight. That framework is now driving tangible progress.