News
Rush proposes 10 new homes off 38th Avenue
A Gig Harbor-based developer is proposing to build a new 10-home subdivision on 3.5 acres of land on 38th Avenue previously owned by the Peninsula Baptist Church.
Rush Development is the developer on record, according to a January meeting. Access to the homes would be via a private road off 38th Avenue shared with the church.
The developer did not return phone calls or emails to Gig Harbor Now.
Rush Residential Inc. purchased the property from the church in February 2024 for $625,000, according to Pierce County Assessor’s Office records.
Utility work
The developer would bear the costs of installing new utilities, placing existing overhead utilities underground and relocating existing overhead utilities, according to pre-application documents.
Rush Residential’s proposal calls for 10 homes between Harborland Mobile Home Park and a private road used by Peninsula Baptist Church.
Additionally, “the developer will be asked to coordinate work with the city’s work on 38th Avenue,” said Gig Harbor Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm.
A gravity-fed sewer line will be added to roadway improvements the city expects to begin in July. The gravity fed sewer line will go beneath the middle of 38th Avenue, which will allow a connection with the new development.
The development would then need to connect the city’s new section of gravity sewer to an existing sewer pump station, Langhelm said.
The city also plans additional work along 38th Avenue that includes a roundabout, sidewalks, lighting and bike lanes to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city is selecting a construction company for the $12 million project.
Work on the sewer likely will be complete before the subdivision goes in, according to the January discussion.
Neighbors worry about loss of trees
The city is requiring the developer to install a runoff retention basin at the front of the parcel, near 38th Avenue.
The development is next to a 55-plus mobile home park called Harborland, which has known septic system issues.
The 10-home subdivision is planned for property formerly owned by Peninsula Baptist Church on 38th Avenue. Photo by Vince Dice
Residents there worry that the project will eliminate the existing forest.
The city requires Rush to retain a significant number of trees on the wooded parcel as a buffer for the development, according to the January pre-application discussion. The developer must submit a tree survey and a landscape plan as part of its application, according to the discussion.
But all of these discussions are still in the early stages, said Eric Baker, Gig Harbor community development director.
The city is awaiting a completed application, which “will provide greater clarity on what the project truly is versus preliminary conversations,” Baker said.