New construction is finally rising at Meriwether Landing on Joint Base Lewis‑McChord, where base leaders, military families and elected officials turned out Tuesday to cut the ribbon on the first newly built homes. The buildout is part of a roughly $130 million effort that will add about 212 homes to the Meriwether Landing neighborhood, with 16 units now complete and more move‑ins scheduled through 2027. Officials say the new houses are meant to chip away at long on‑post housing wait lists and offer larger, updated living spaces geared toward mid‑career families.
Liberty Military Housing is framing the project as a core piece of its mission to support service members and their loved ones. "Liberty’s purpose is to provide our nation’s military and their families with high‑quality housing, appealing amenities, engaged communities, and expert staff," CEO Philip Rizzo said in a company statement about the project, in a press release via Liberty Military Housing.
What the new homes include
The Meriwether homes are a mix of three‑ and four‑bedroom duplexes and single‑family units, all designed with two‑car garages, fenced yards, air conditioning and in‑home laundry hookups. Liberty’s community pages list LVP and hardwood‑style flooring, modern kitchens and planned parks and playgrounds as part of the neighborhood package, according to Liberty Military Housing.
Funding and the broader effort
The construction and related renovations are funded through the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, a public‑private partnership Congress created in 1996 to speed repairs and new building at military installations, as outlined by the Military Housing Association. The Army has previously described the Meriwether expansion as a roughly $130 million project and said separate renovation work worth about $107.7 million was moved up to modernize nearly 1,000 homes in nearby neighborhoods, with those upgrades expected to continue into 2028, according to Joint Base Lewis‑McChord public affairs.
Move‑ins and availability
Liberty told The News Tribune that of the 16 finished units, 12 were still available, and that JBLM had a waiting list of 67 families for on‑post housing. The outlet also reported that the new homes will primarily serve mid‑career enlisted ranks and that the family who helped cut the ribbon will be among the first to move in later this week.
