Puyallup council approves mixed-use redevelopment of AOB lot, directs staff to address senior parking

Puyallup — The Puyallup City Council voted 6-0 April 29 to authorize a development agreement and a purchase-and-sale for a mixed‑use project on the city‑owned AOB lot at Third Street Southwest, while directing staff to return with specific measures to mitigate lost parking for the Puyallup Senior Activity Center.

The developer, Urban Olympia, will pay the city the lot’s appraised fair‑market value, $1,900,000, and agreed to construct right‑of‑way improvements along Third Street estimated by staff at about $295,000. City Manager Steve Kirkley said the developer will install 29 angled stalls along Third Street and that “at least 20 of those are reserved for senior activity center” use Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., via a city permit program.

Why it matters: The AOB site has been identified in the city’s downtown plans for decades. Council members and residents framed the vote as a balance between adding centrally located housing near transit and protecting parking and access to an active senior center and nearby downtown events.

City staff and the project team described the proposal at a public hearing. Steve Kirkley said the project footprint is the 1.1‑acre AOB parcel across from the library and less than a half‑mile from the Sounder station. Paul architect Ron Thomas and…