University Place adding hundreds of apartments. Here’s what’s coming and what’s going
Story has been updated with additional detail on nursery’s next location.
University Place will see more than 1,000 new apartment units in the coming years, including new senior housing.
The city has nearly 800 units either working through permitting or in development/construction, with more on the way. That doesn’t include the nearby Mildred Street Prose Development in Fircrest with more than 380 units.
A presentation to the University Place City Council on April 3 offered a rundown of current UP projects:
▪ Bridgeview 125: (3610 Bridgeport Way W.) five-story mixed-use building, including 8,500-square-feet of commercial space and 125 units.
▪ 4201 Bridgeport Apartments: (4201 Bridgeport Way W.) One, five-story building and one four-story, including 104 units.
▪ Grand Ridge Apartments: (6007 67th Ave. W.) Four, three-story buildings with 48 units.
▪ Alta at Narrows Urban Village: (2208-2124 Mildred St. W.) Two, four-story buildings; seven, three-story buildings for a total of 274 units. The project follows the sale and demolition of the former AMC Narrows Plaza 8 and Narrows Plaza Bowl. Partial completion is expected by this fall and finalized next year.
▪ Legacy University Place Apartments: (East side of South Orchard Street near Cirque Drive West) 240 market-rate apartments across 11 buildings; construction to start late spring-early summer of this year.
Senior housing and restaurant updates
Another project that would bring affordable senior housing has a portion still working through site cleanup while another phase moves forward, according to city manager Steve Sugg in the April 3 council presentation.
The project, planned for the 27th Street West and Grandview Drive area, saw on-site demolition last year.
Sugg told the council that a portion of of the project remains tied up in a battle over soil contamination.
“As part of that site, or just adjacent to that site is what is called the Grandview Plaza project. Phase 1 is at the corner of 27th in Grandview that was to go first, but it’s still in litigation because there’s soil contamination.”
The News Tribune reported on the cleanup battle in 2016 tied to a former dry cleaning business and reported in 2022 about Phase 2 with new development partners.
Sugg added the developer is moving forward with Phase 2, across the street from the senior center and north of the Grandview Plaza Phase 1 site.
“Phase 2 is 194 affordable senior housing units,” he noted.
The project’s design review and SEPA review are with city staff, he added.
He also noted the development of a two-restaurant site at the former Captain Nemo’s location, 4020 Bridgeport Way W. Chipotle, one of the businesses, is already open, and Habit Burger, next door, is set to open in June.
Nursery site to become apartments
Another potential apartment site not included in the roundup for council will eventually lead to the relocation of an established University Place nursery.
In 2022, 27th Street Apartments LLC, led by local developer Mark Carpenter, purchased five parcels, a mix of commercial and residential lots, for $3.75 million in the 7200 block of 27th Street and along Morrison Road West.
According to Kevin Briske, Community and Economic Development Department director for University Place, “The City did have a pre-application with them about a year ago for a project that would have market rate apartments and some commercial.”
While Briske noted, “There have been no formal permits applied for regarding that project,” Carpenter told The News Tribune the project’s design is taking shape.
“Looks like it will be close to 200 units in a combination of midrise and 3-story walkups,” Carpenter said via email in response to questions.
The project will offer “Energy efficient units using the latest technology available,” he added, with more information coming in the next few months.
Meanwhile, Willow Tree Garden & Interiors, now located among the project’s parcels, will move to a new location in Gig Harbor.
Jinny Zimmerman, one of the operators of the family-owned nursery, told The News Tribune via email in response to questions, “We purchased property in Gig Harbor and plan on moving in October.”
Zimmerman wrote that the new site will be in the 128th Street Northwest and Peacock Hill Avenue area.
She added that the timeline ”isn’t set in stone as we are developing the property, and that can take a while.”
She noted, “Our new landlord has no desire to have us move right away and if we don’t have the new nursery and gift shop up and running by October we will still be open in our UP location for our Christmas Open House.”
