Looking for a condominium in Pierce County? Puyallup is getting a dozen new ones soon

More multi-family housing will come to the south side of Puyallup.

The Puyallup City Council unanimously approved an eight-year limited property tax exemption agreement with Copperberry Condominiums LLC at the Aug. 27 council meeting.

The plan is to have 12 multi-family units at 4002 10th St. SE. Of the 12 units, 11 will be market-rate and one will be low-income (a household that earns 80 percent of the Area Median Income). The units will be divided into two buildings. Those interested can inquire at brcfhomes.com/copperberry-condominiums/.

Pacific Ridge Real Estate agent George Sampson told The News Tribune Sept. 10 that construction for one of the buildings is expected to finish by the end of September or early October. The other building may be finished sometime in November.

Real estate developer BRC Family LLC is behind the project. The family-owned company has built housing units in Puyallup, South Hill, Sumner and Spanaway, according to its website.

Associate planner Rachael Brown said at the council meeting that this is the first application the city has received since expanding the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program late last year.

The News Tribune reported in January 2024 that the City Council unanimously voted to expand its MFTE program to more parts of downtown, South Hill and the River Road corridor.

The state Department of Commerce created the MFTE program in 1995. Puyallup has had it since 2003. City spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune earlier this year that he thinks the program has only been used twice.

The program is a tax incentive to build affordable housing. It allows developers to apply for and get property tax exemptions for a certain amount of time, The News Tribune reported.

The city offers an eight-year and 12-year tax exemption period. Brown said at the council meeting that the eight-year period does not require developers to have affordable units, but the 12-year period does.

Copperberry Condominiums LLC applied for the MFTE program sometime in 2022, Brown said at the council meeting. At that time, the city had not yet expanded the MFTE program.

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