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Pierce County highlights sewer extensions, ARPA investments to support affordable housing in District 6
Summary
County executive briefed the council on completed and upcoming sewer and water extension projects funded in part with county and American Rescue Plan Act dollars that officials say will help preserve and create affordable housing; county also reported outcomes from an inclement-weather shelter run with Family Promise of Pierce County.
Pierce County Executive Mello told the council on April 9 that several sewer and water infrastructure projects the council supported have finished or are scheduled for completion and that those projects are intended to make new and existing housing affordable.
Mello said the county used roughly $160,000 in county money to complete a sewer and water extension that supported a 16-home Habitat for Humanity project and described three American Rescue Plan Act–funded sewer-extension projects priced at approximately $600,000 (58 residential properties), about $307,000 (37 residential units and three commercial properties), and about $1.1 million (22 dwelling units and one commercial property).
Why it matters: County officials said investment in basic infrastructure such as sewer and water lines reduces housing construction costs and helps keep properties permanently affordable. Executive Mello framed the projects as part of the county’s broader housing and environmental protection work.
Mello said the 16-unit project “is a $160,000 investment from the county” and that a sewer extension scheduled for completion in 2025 will help keep 58 properties affordable and reduce wastewater entering American Lake. He told the council the Rose Road project is “about a $600,000 investment” and that the Woodsworth Street project is “about a $1,100,000 project.”
The executive also described emergency-shelter work with Family Promise of Pierce County during a recent period of cold weather. He said the inclement-weather shelter at Parkland School served 367 unduplicated people over about three weeks; 12 people were placed into supportive housing after casework, and five people obtained employment. The county attributed those outcomes to coordinated casework and partner services.
Council members asked follow-up questions about the projects’ timing and community impacts. Chair Jenny Hitchens noted the council had previously approved the budget items and welcomed the project completions. No formal action or vote occurred at the meeting.
Clarifying details reported at the meeting include the dollar amounts above and completion windows: the 58-unit sewer extension was scheduled for summer 2025; a separate Orchard Street project serving 37 units and three commercial properties was expected to finish by the end of 2025; and the Woodsworth Street project was planned for completion in about a year, per the executive’s remarks.
The presentation placed the infrastructure work in a wider context of county efforts to support affordable housing and reduce environmental impacts from failing septic systems.
