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Endangered squirrels at heart of debate over new Spanaway tiny home village


A photo of a western gray squirrel. (Photo by WDFW)
A photo of a western gray squirrel. (Photo by WDFW)
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The endangered western gray squirrel is the latest controversy surrounding a planned tiny home village in Spanaway.

The multi-million dollar development for the homeless has been in the works since at least 2022. It would be built on land near Spanaway Loop Road South and Cross Base Highway South (176th Street South).

The project is expensive. Pierce County has set aside $21.5 million. Lakewood has put in $1 million, but a stipulation for the money is to fill 20% of the first 50 units with veterans who may be homeless.

RELATED: Pierce County microhome village project facing development obstacles

And the operators, Tacoma Rescue Mission (TRM), are committed to raise $18 million for the"Good Neighbor Village."Currently, TRM is in the process of acquiring a conditional-use permit so they can move ahead with development.

However, TRM and developers have faced stiff resistance from nearby Spanaway residents about the potential impacts the site would bring, including safety issues, crime concerns, environmental damage and now concern for endangered animals.

RELATED: Proposed microhome village in Pierce County drawing concern from neighbors

One of the most vocal groups has been the organization Spanaway Concerned Citizens.Their attorney, Zachary Griefen, was part of a now completed hearing for the permit which ended last Thursday.

“Western gray squirrels are a state listed endangered species in the state of Washington,"Griefen said. "Both they and their primary habitat are protected under state and local laws including Pierce County’s Critical Areas Ordinance. They’re documented in close proximity to the Spanaway village microhome site. There’s documented occurrences of Western gray squirrels approximately half a mile south on JBLM land and the entire 87 acre site proposed for development is primary habitat for the endangered Western Gray Squirrel.”

The attorney went on to say the squirrels depend on Garry Oaks (Oregon White Oaks) that are also rare and protected, but the proposed development would cut down a large number of the trees. He said they do not know how many trees will be torn down and blamed the TRM for sharing numbers that are "all over the place."

KOMO News' Paul Rivera asked Griefen if he believes the presence of endangered squirrels could delay or get their permit denied, and the attorney said, “Absolutely, this is primary habitat for an endangered species. It’s protected. It’s not the only issue in the case.”

Griefen shared a document between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to Pierce County.

In the letter, WDFW wrote, "This project is located less than 0.5 miles away from WGS (Western Gray Squirrel) documented locations and within a biodiversity and habitat connectivity corridor on WDFW’s Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) map. These areas provide habitat connectivity corridors for an array of native wildlife, including WGS, and loss of these areas are a concern outlined in WDFW’s 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan. More information about biodiversity corridors and WDFW guidance can be found in 'Landscape Planning for Washington's Wildlife: Managing for Biodiversity in Developing Areas (A Priority Habitats and Species Guidance Document).' This development proposal will further encroach upon and will reduce the existing WGS primary habitat.”

"We came together opposing this project for a number of reasons," said Paul Lubbesmeyer, who is part of the group Spanaway Concerned Citizens. "The number one reason is due to the environment that it’s going to impact. This is a recognized wildlife habitat by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. It’s got numerous factors that contribute to that title: the squirrel habitat, the wetlands habitat, the Garry Oak Trees, the legacy trees, eagle’s nests, the list goes on.”

A Pierce County spokesperson told KOMO News on Wednesday that a wetland ecologist testified in the permit hearing, saying “the last recorded sighting of a western gray squirrel in the area was a half-a-mile away in 2008, with no recorded or confirmed sightings on the property.”

TRM did not reply to KOMO News' request for comment on Wednesday. However, they did respond to our questions on Thursday.

“Our ecologist for this project Sarah Hyland has researched this and been on site several times evaluating the entire ecology of the property," TRM Executive Director Duke Paulson said. "According to her the last known sighting of a Western Grey squirrel was a half mile from our property and was in 2008. While we are aware that this particular squirrel prefers to live in oak trees and we have many on the property, they also want clear spaces between trees not dense underbrush such as on our property so the environment is not ideal for them.”

Paulson said they had multiple site visits or environmental teams look at the ecology and look for squirrels. This included a visit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and there have been no confirmed sightings of Western Gray Squirrels on the property.

Paulson said “the assertions were made by neighbors that do not want the village to be built next to them, and they were made during the hearing examiner public comments for him as well as by the attorney hired by the concerned citizens group wanting to stop the project,” he added, “the project is still moving forward and it's up to the hearing examiner to determine if the assertions made by the community have any validity over development.”

In a previous comment to KOMO News, TRM said their target audience for the site would be people:

  • 55 and older
  • Homeless for 10 or more years
  • With addiction, mental health or physical disability issues

They said every person will pay rent and have access to services on-site.

RELATED:$1M in funding approved to build tiny house village in Pierce County

If and when it’s completed, the site will have nearly 300 tiny homes and residents. TRM stated the land is 87 acres, but 27 of that is buildable.

The Pierce County examiner will likely have a decision on the permit by the end of May.

After the decision, either party can request for a reconsideration within 14 days. After that period, county officials stated individuals can file a ‘Land Use Petition Act’ to appeal the decision.

If delays do not occur, construction could begin this fall then residents could be welcomed by December 2025, with a full build completed by December 2028.

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