by Kirk Kirkland
In August voters supported critical county council members elections that have continued the Sea Change that swept a new County Executive and two county council members that has changed the face of Pierce County’s government actions.
The priority county government programs have focused on providing compassionate services at an amount not experienced in previous decades when there was not a majority of women council members in key positions.
The increase in funding of Mental Health resources was the start of taking care of everyone. Whether the county is supporting young people to thrive with summer programs, or building more affordable housing, or improving our transportation network, each of these efforts reflects the same goal:
Building a Pierce County where everyone is safe, welcoming and connected, said Ryan Mello who is only in his second year as County Executive.
Each month Ryan’s newsletter details new programs like the Affordable Housing initiative to preserving farm land to increase locally-grown food.
With the support of the county council, in Ryan’s first year as Executive there were major changes in the advanced planning department which led to saving more agricultural lands from development. The program put a priority on purchasing the development rights from local farmers.
A similar program to buy development rights 15 years ago required the leadership of land trusts to play a major role in finding new farm owners who couldn’t afford the high cost of local farms.
The county staff revised Conservation Futures Programs to prioritize county funds to buy the development rights. When this is combined with grants from the U.S. Agriculture Department, the price of a Pierce County farmer getting started is a lower cost per acre that a new farmer can afford.
Now a new generation of local farmers can plant crops and increase the amount of local food at a time when food from California is on decline due to a warming climate.
There is heavy pressure on local farmers to sell their property to developers. The conservation futures program was intended to pay for the sale of priority rights, which means the farmland will stay in the agriculture designation. The question is are the farmers given a fair price when selling to new farmers.
Frederickson project to deliver affordable housing to 102 families
In July 2026 ground has broken on a 102-unit affordable housing development. It will provide below-market homes for families in East Pierce County. The project is expected to welcome its first residents in 2027 and will keep all units affordable for decades.
This project was possible through several historic firsts. Pierce County secured more than $700,000 through the state’s Connecting Housing to Infrastructure (CHIP) program to waive sewer connection fees, which reduced costs for the developer.
The project was also the first to receive funding through the Washington Family Housing Fund, a partnership between Ballmer Group and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission that is expanding affordable housing opportunities across Washington.
SR 167 expressway includes bike trail in county’s most crowded corridor between Fife to Puyallup.
The completed highway will reduce truck traffic on local roads, and enhance travel reliability throughout crowed Puyallup Valley floor. But more important the project also delivers lasting benefits beyond the highway itself with more than 150 acres of environmental restoration and construction of the bike Trail.
When complete, the trail will help connect Tacoma, Fife, and Puyallup, creating new opportunities for people to walk, bike, and roll while incorporating Tribal art, language, and cultural interpretation throughout the corridor.
These displays honor the Puyallup Tribe of Indians — “people from the bend at the bottom of the river”. It honors the Tribe’s enduring connection to this place and it reminds non-tribal members that we are renting the river valley from Tribe’s future.
On Friday, Sept. 18 at the PenMet Parks Recreation Center in Gig Harbor, from Noon to 7 p.m. There are learning opportunities for behavioral health professionals and for community members. The program is free and open to the public.
The day will conclude with the Bridge to Hope, a 5K run across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, symbolizing the community’s shared commitment to hope, healing, and suicide prevention.
The event reflects Pierce County’s continued investment in behavioral health. Through the 2026–27 biennial budget, the County is expanding youth mental health services, outpatient behavioral health care, behavioral health workforce training, and support for veterans and older adults.