District 3 affordable housing projects
in the pipeline are closer to being realized after securing funding
through the Seattle Office of Housing’s $110 million investment
package this year, which is expected to create 1,944 new rental units
in the next few years.
This year’s investment in affordable
rental housing is the largest to date, and includes $13 million in
sales tax the city was able to retain through new legislation passed
by state lawmakers earlier this year.
Capitol Hill Housing and community
partners received funding for two projects.
Africatown Plaza
Africatown Plaza is receiving $12
million in Office of Housing funding. The project, which will create
132 affordable housing units on a portion of the former Midtown
Center site in the Central District, is slated to begin the Early
Design Guidance process in early 2020.
The project is being developed by
Capitol Hill Housing and the Africatown Community Land Trust under
its Africatown LLLP partnership. The Office of Housing previously
provided the entity a $4.5 million loan to acquire 20 percent of the
Midtown Center site from Lake Union Partners, which is developing a
432-unit mixed-use apartment project on the rest of the property.
Africatown CEO K. Wyking Garrett tells
MPT it’s great to see the City of Seattle prioritizing communities
that have been harmed by past policies and practices of redlining,
disinvestment and predatory development.
“This is an important step toward
making sure, if this is going to be a world-class city, it should
have a world-class black/African diaspora community,” Garrett said
during an award ceremony earlier this month.
He said community feedback during the
early planning process included a high demand for family-sized units.
The seven-story, 132-unit affordable
housing development is currently proposed to include three-bedroom
and two-bedroom apartments, as well as studios and one-bedroom units.
Africatown Plaza will be bounded by
23rd Avenue, East Spring Street and 24th Avenue, with plans for a
community plaza at the southwest corner, where Africatown offices
will be situated. Plans also call for an art feature in an adjoining
entry courtyard with a stage. A portion of the East Spring Street
side of Africatown Plaza will include additional community space.
Retail, flex and commons spaces are
being proposed on the ground floor of the north side of Africatown
Plaza, and Garrett said work continues with LUP on a design solution
for connecting the two developments in the middle.
The Africatown Plaza concept design
also includes a roof deck at the corner of 24th and East Spring.
Garrett said plans are to break ground
on Africatown Plaza in 2021. Funding for the project will include
low-income housing tax credits, and another $2 million will likely
need to be raised to keep retail spaces affordable for local small
businesses, Garrett said.
“And we’ll be continuing to engage
community as we have throughout the process,” he said. “We put a
high priority on making sure community stakeholders are present.”
The Eldridge
Capitol Hill Housing received $8.6
million in Office of Housing funding to develop The Eldridge, which
will be Seattle’s first LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing
development. Plans are to provide 125 units where the old Atlas and
Eldridge Tire buildings sit on Broadway, between Pike and Pine
streets, in Capitol Hill.
The eight-story senior living community
is to be managed by Generations Aging with Pride (GenPRIDE), the
primary service provider, with ground-floor space for Seattle
Counseling Service and Country Doctor clinic. There will be a total
of nine LGBTQ nonprofits working with CHH at The Eldridge.
CHH plans to begin the Early Design
Guidance process around the same time as Africatown Plaza - late
January or early February.
GenPRIDE is planning to host a
community celebration and information events in early 2020.
“This is a remarkable time in
Seattle’s LGBTQ history, and we are both excited and humbled to be
playing a part in building a stronger senior community for those who
have been instrumental in achieving the rights many of us enjoy
today,” said GenPRIDE executive director Steven Knipp in a news
release. “We are looking forward to making this a vibrant center
filled with people who want to connect with others and be a part of
our incredible community.”
