Questions about senior living – whether for yourself or a family member? Get answers about multiple options during an event this Tuesday (November 28), 5-7 pm. at Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor). Coordinators say multiple senior-living communities are participating as well as the hosts. Call to RSVP (or if you have questions about the event), 206-937-6122.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Admiral Church‘s agreement to turn over its half-acre property to Homestead Community Land Trust is just the first step in what’s expected to be at least a four-year journey to transformation of the site into new homes and a new home for the church.

The projected timeline is part of what was revealed at an open-house-style gathering in the church sanctuary this past Sunday afternoon, four weeks after the church and Homestead CLT announced the plan. As we’ve been reporting, the church had been on a years-long quest to secure a sustainable future – the costs of maintaining an aging building could not be borne without some sort of change. The plan will enable “affordable” homes, offered for sale, to be built on the site along with a new “flexible” space for the church and its ministries/tenants, which currently include a preschool as well as various community groups.

The architects working on the project, Third Place Design Co-operative, were in attendance, with renderings showing possibilities for how the church site’s future housing could look and feel. They told us the predominant housing type they’re considering for this site is “three-story townhouses.” The easels offered people at the gathering a chance to place dot stickers on images they liked, from architecture to amenities such as greenspaces between the buildings, porches, small fenced yards. Some of the featured images, they told us, were from a project under way now in Tukwila.

That’s an 18-home development on land previously owned by Riverton Park United Methodist Church, according to Homestead CLT’s executive director Kathleen Hosfeld, who was also at the Admiral gathering, standing by an easel explaining the “Net Zero” building philosophy for which they aim – energy-efficient, which in turn means lower utility bills.

Another Homestead rep staffed a general Q&A table, including how their model works (here’s how). 60-65 percent average mean income (AMI) is their sweet spot for potential buyers; 80 percent AMI is the ceiling to qualify. They are able to offer lower prices to qualified buyers because of subsidies from public (like the Seattle Housing Levy, which is on the current ballot) and private funding, These have to be the buyers’ only homes, and they can’t be rented out – the owner has to live there. If they want to sell their home, they can find a qualified buyer on their own, but most work with Homestead, which has a long waiting list. They even have a tiebreaker system if needed.

The open house ended with a moment of recognition for City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who helped connect Homestead CLT with Admiral Church years ago. Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom offered a few words of appreciation, telling the backstory of the church’s journey to this point (including this meeting we covered four years ago), and the councilmember briefly spoke:

We asked Hosfeld where the project goes from here: “What happens next is we start the design process. We need to engage the civil engineer, geotech and other advisers to study the site, and model out what we can build. That’s probably a 4-6 month process. Once we have some concepts to share, we’ll reach back out to the neighborhood for some input again. In the meantime, we’ll meet with the immediate neighbors across the street and make sure we set up a good communication system with them.” If all goes well, construction of the as-yet-undetermined number of homes could start in fall of 2025 and last about a year and a half. If you have questions for Homestead, you can email westseattle@homesteadclt.org.

SIDE NOTE: We noticed on the Homestead website that the first of its now-245 homes in trust was referred to as the “Delridge House.” Indeed, Hosfeld told us, it all began with a little house that was moved off the site of the Delridge Library to a site elsewhere in Delridge. The nonprofit made this video a few years back telling the story:

Hosfeld says the original owner of the “Delridge House” has since sold it – but as with the other homes they’ve acquired or built, it will forever remain in trust.

If you or someone in your family is considering senior-living options, you have the opportunity later this month to get answers about multiple types, during one panel discussion. Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) is hosting at 5 pm Thursday, August 17th – here’s the announcement and RSVP request:

So this is senior living? A night of great information and clarification – learn about all types of senior living local to our area. We will have a great panel with community partners from Quail Park Memory Care of West Seattle, ComeForCare home care, Avamere at Park West, and of course Village Green West Seattle. Please RSVP to event at 206-937-6122.

You can see the event flyer here.

So far this year, you’ll be voting on a $1.25 billion behavioral-health levy in April and the half-billion-dollar renewal of the Veterans, Seniors, Human Services Levy in August. Those are both countywide proposals. Now, one from the city – Mayor Bruce Harrell has gone public with his $970 million proposal to renew/expand the Seattle Housing Levy, aiming for the November ballot. The city has had a housing levy since 1986; the one that’s expiring now was passed in 2016 and was for $290 million, less than a third the size of the new plan. From the mayor’s office, here’s how this version would break out:

Rental Housing Production & Preservation: $707 million

Creates and preserves affordable rental housing, including Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), for seniors, people exiting homelessness, working families with children, people with disabilities, and other low-income households.

Operating, Maintenance, and Services (OMS): $122 million

Ensures safe, sustainable operations at in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and creates a new wage stabilization fund for workers in PSH buildings.

Homeownership: $51 million

Creates new permanently affordable for-sale homes, provides down-payment assistance for low-income homebuyers, and stabilizes low-income homeowners through emergency home repair grants and foreclosure prevention assistance.

Prevention & Housing Stabilization: $30 million

Provides short-term rent assistance and housing stability services to help low-income households avoid eviction or homelessness.

Program Administration: $60 million

Ensures continuous and effective administration of all Housing Levy-funded programs by covering costs associated with project selection and contracting, development underwriting, construction monitoring, project performance and compliance, fiscal management, program policies and reporting.

Tax rate: $0.45/$1,000 assessed value

Cost to median Seattle homeowners: $383/year or $31.92/month (based on assessed value of $855,136)

The City Council will review the levy proposal in a series of meetings before deciding whether to put it on the November ballot.

One month after Seattle Initiative 135 won approval in the February special election – final count was 57 percent yes – the process of turning its provisions into reality has begun. Its provisions stipulate that the Seattle Renters Commission appoint a majority of the board for the new Seattle Social Housing Developer, for starters. So they’re looking for potential board members. Here’s the announcement:

The Seattle Renters’ Commission is seeking community members to serve on the board for the newly established Seattle Social Housing Developer, a Public Development Authority (PDA) responsible for developing, owning, and maintaining social housing in Seattle.

The Seattle Social Housing Developer was established with the passage of Initiative 135, a citizen-initiated measure approved by Seattle voters on February 14, 2023. Under this initiative, social housing will be publicly owned, publicly financed, mixed-income housing, removed from market forces and speculation, and built with the express aim of housing people equitably and affordably.

A new board of directors to oversee the Seattle Social Housing Developer will be formed in the coming weeks. Seven of the 13 board members will be initially appointed by the Seattle Renters’ Commission. Per the terms of the initiative, the board members appointed by the Seattle Renters’ Commission shall include at least one member who has experienced housing insecurity; at least one member who has experienced financial eviction; and at least one member who has been displaced. In addition, they shall represent a range of incomes, including three members living at 0-50% Area Median Income (AMI); two (2) members living at 50-80% AMI; and two members living at 80-100% AMI.

Full details on the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors can be found in the Charter for the Seattle Social Housing Developer PDA. Prospective board members can expect to spend up to 20 hours per month in their role.

Those interested in being considered for the board should complete the online application by Friday, March 31 at 11:59 p.m.

The Seattle Renters’ Commission will review applications on a rolling basis and reach out to applicants who advance in the application process to coordinate next steps.

The charter is also where you’ll find the explanation of the various entities who appoint the other six members.

If you own a house and/or other property in King County, you can now see your property-tax bill for this year. The King County Assessor is sending out 2023 bills starting today, but you don’t have to wait for yours to arrive in the mail – you can look it up right now online via kingcounty.gov/propertytax. If you pay your tax bundled with your mortgage, you won’t get a paper statement, but you can still see the new amount online. The assessor’s website also enables you to see how the tax you pay is split between various agencies – though the bill comes from King County, the money goes to a variety of entities. A few other notes from the announcement:

Because of the way the calendar falls this year, property taxpayers will have an extra day to pay the first half of their property taxes. The statutory due date for the first half falls on a Sunday in 2023, so payments will not be due until Monday, May 1. Payments are accepted online, by mail, and by drop box. Visit kingcounty.gov/PropertyTax for details on payment options. Customer service representatives are also available to assist Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact King County Treasury Operations at 206-263-2890 or email propertytax.customerservice@kingcounty.gov.

Information on tax exemption and deferral programs for seniors, people with disabilities, or other qualifying conditions can be obtained from the King County Assessor’s Office at TaxRelief.kingcounty.gov, by emailing exemptions.assessments@kingcounty.gov, or calling 206-296-3920.

SIDE NOTE: The Legislature has been looking at expanding tax relief, and Assessor John Wilson has been advocating for it. Both proposals are still in committee.