108 Affordable Apartments Come to Othello Station
On Saturday, July 8th, we are excited to celebrate the opening of Mercy Othello Plaza. Just a stone's throw from Othello Station, Mercy Othello Plaza offers 108 brand-new affordable housing units for households earning $18,000-$55,000 per year. In a city bursting with new construction of studios and 1-bedroom apartments, sixty percent of the units at Mercy Othello Plaza are 2 and 3-bedroom units, giving low-income families a way to stay rooted in their communities as housing prices rise. Residents will enjoy fast, reliable commutes to places such as SeaTac Airport (16 minutes), the International District (16 minutes), or the University of Washington (28 minutes)
Mercy Housing is a national leader in affordable housing development, and our public-private partnership with them is a sign of things to come. As we build out our regional light rail system, we will be partnering more closely with affordable housing providers to maximize access to our new stations. Legislation passed in 2015 requires Sound Transit to offer 80% of our surplus property to affordable housing developers, who in turn must agree to offer 80% of their units to families making 80% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). Rather than see this merely as a regulatory requirement, we see it as an opportunity to strengthen communities.
"Transit-oriented development" (TOD) is a wonky term that means a very simple thing: it means building places to live, work, shop, and play next to quality transit. Othello Station is now the community hub for 108 new families, and we are in the process of helping create new communities at Capitol Hill Station, Roosevelt Station, First Hill, Columbia City, Angle Lake and SeaTac.
