Puyallup, WA – The City of Puyallup Development and Permitting Services Department has recently released its draft Housing Action Plan (HAP), which is now available for public viewing and comment. To review the plan, please go to the City’s website here.
This Plan is the culmination multiple months of background research, community outreach, and engagement with stakeholders and elected officials. The HAP represents the City’s commitment to support and address affordable housing options over the next several decades.
Katie Baker, Planning Manager for the City of Puyallup, comments on the draft plan. “The population of Puyallup is anticipated to grow by a large percentage over the coming years,” says Baker. “We also know that our population demographics are changing. As our town becomes more diverse, over time, that will change the types of housing that will be in demand. This plan will help us identify steps we can take today so that we are prepared for the housing demands of the future.”
The HAP project began in summer 2020, and an initial assessment was conducted through community engagement, stakeholder meetings, town halls, surveys, and other means of community outreach. Synthesizing the findings from this outreach, a Housing Needs Assessment was completed, resulting in the following five goals:
- Promote livable neighborhoods.
- Preserve attainability and quality in existing and new housing.
- Build a diverse range of new housing
- Remove barriers and constraints that limit access to housing
- Encourage housing for people experiencing homelessness, older adults, and people with disabilities.
Using these goals as a baseline, the City worked with their project consultant team, BERK Consulting and Makers, to identify strategies and policy options that will meet our community’s housing needs. The result is a set of high priority, as well as second priority, strategies that will serve as a roadmap to addressing Puyallup’s unique challenges and opportunities to attainable housing.
The City asks the public to provide comments and feedback through the following methods by June 18, 2021.
- Review the StoryMap and take a brief survey here.
- Email your comments to Katie Baker, Planning Manager, at kbaker@puyallupwa.gov. Please include the subject line “Housing Action Plan” in your email.
In addition to these opportunities, the public can also provide comment at the June 30, 2021 Planning Commission public hearing. For instructions on how to provide public comment at the meetings, please go to the City’s Website, CityofPuyallup.org, and click on “Agendas & Minutes.”
Funding for the HAP project came from a $100,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
For more information about the Housing Action Plan, please contact Katie Baker, AICP, at kbaker@puyallupwa.gov or 253-435-3604. You can also visit the City’s Housing Action Plan webpage here.