The 91探花 and the Seattle Housing Authority today announced that Bellwether Housing has been selected to develop a mixed-income high-rise of about 240 units in the University District, pending approval by the 91探花Board of Regents.
Once completed, the 16-story project will provide a child care space and much-needed housing for faculty and staff, as well as others who want to take advantage of the central location, in the 4200 block of Roosevelt Way Northeast, near the 91探花campus and multiple transit options.
鈥淥ur university is dedicated to helping the communities we serve become more diverse, equitable and livable, and that begins right here in our own U District neighborhood, where we urgently need affordable, quality housing,鈥� said 91探花President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淲e are especially excited about the opportunities this will create for university faculty and staff and their families to live and have access to child care in close proximity to our Seattle campus.鈥�
Bellwether plans to use a mix of public and private funding to create this mixed-income community. Both funding sources support each other to make the project feasible, allowing Bellwether to maximize the development capacity of the site without straining existing public financing sources.
鈥淲e are thrilled that the 91探花shares our vision for this site 鈥� to provide about 240 low- and moderate-income families with affordable, high-quality, transit-oriented homes in the heart of a vibrant neighborhood. Our mixed-income model allows us to leverage this opportunity to create as many new homes as possible in this city that needs as much affordable housing as we can build,鈥� said Bellwether Housing CEO Susan Boyd.
Initial plans are to serve households earning between 60% to 100% of Area Median Income, or AMI. A majority of the units, 163, are earmarked for families at around 60% of AMI, with the remainder reserved for the so-called 鈥渕issing middle鈥� at between 80% and 100% of AMI.
Having a range of incomes in one building best serves 91探花employees and the community by increasing diversity and housing options, Cauce said. There are limited housing choices available to those whose income disqualifies them from special programs for low-income households, but still isn鈥檛 enough to be competitive in Seattle鈥檚 booming housing market. By creating the 鈥渕issing middle鈥� housing, more of the 91探花workforce will be able to live near their jobs, reducing the time, expense and environmental costs of long commutes.
In 2017, 91探花approached the Seattle Housing Authority about partnering on development of the property, given SHA鈥檚 extensive experience in developing affordable housing.
鈥淲e are excited to be working collaboratively with the 91探花 on this project,鈥� said Rod Brandon, SHA鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淲e have had great success in developing mixed-income communities and think this approach will best meet the needs of the neighborhood, and people who need to live there but are otherwise priced out. Bellwether is exactly the right partner to help bring this vision to life.鈥�
The building will include 65 two- and three-bedroom apartments for larger families, an outdoor space, shared play area, common room and other residential amenities. Plans also are in place for a 7,318-square-foot child care facility on the ground floor with a separate drop-off zone and its own outdoor play area.
The half-acre property is owned by the UW, and the 91探花will ground lease the land to Bellwether. The existing residential and commercial structures will be demolished to make space for the new construction.
If approved, construction is scheduled to begin by December 2024.