11:59 AM: Above, that’s what the southwest corner of 16th/Holden looks like today, a 9,425-square-foot former Seattle City Light substation originally declared as “surplus” more than a decade ago … and below is a “massing” rendering of its potential future with newly chosen prospective “affordable homeownership” developer Homestead Community Land Trust.
The city Office of Housing has just announced that it’s chosen Homestead CLT – which is also working on the Admiral Church project – to develop “permanently affordable” homes on the site. We’ve been following this process; most recently, the city told us in June that two developers were in the running, and one would be chosen by summer’s end. From the city announcement:
The City of Seattle’s Office of Housing (OH) is proud to announce a significant investment of up to $3 million in the future of affordable homeownership in West Seattle. This funding will be awarded to Homestead Community Land Trust (Homestead CLT) for the redevelopment of the former Dumar Substation site at 1605 SW Holden Street and will support the creation of 21 permanently affordable homes, marking a critical step forward in the City’s ongoing efforts to provide affordable housing options for low-income families.
Homestead CLT, partnering with the Cultural Space Agency, submitted a winning proposal through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process that not only increases the supply of affordable homeownership units but also integrates ground-floor commercial space to enhance community vibrancy.
Homestead CLT’s proposal garnered strong community backing, with local organizations like the Highland Park Action Committee and the Highland Park Improvement Club voicing their support. Once complete, the development will feature a four-story building with a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom homes, all of which will be available to buyers earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In addition to providing affordable homeownership opportunities, the development will also include ground-floor commercial space.
The commercial space is something that community groups long had advocated for, as well as supporting zoning at the site – at an intersection with businesses on two corners and a fire station at the third – so it could support a project like this. We’re following up with Homestead regarding timeline and what happens next.
ADDED 1:03 PM: Here’s the response we received from Homestead CLT’s CEO Kathleen Hosfeld:
First, I want to give big props to [former City Councilmember] Lisa Herbold, because making sure this property was set aside for affordable housing was one of her top priorities before she left office. This was something I’d been hearing about for years directly from community leaders, and she got it done. Let’s make sure we give credit where it’s due.
In terms of opportunities for community engagement….The City has already engaged in a lot of outreach to determine what people want for this site. We don’t want to contribute to “process fatigue” by asking community to keep repeating the same feedback they’ve given before. But we typically host one or more community open house opportunities for engagement on projects before we submit our permit application. We intend to submit the permit application in May of 2025. We have not yet scheduled those events.
We hope to have full funding for the project by the end of 2025 and start construction in early 2026. However, if we are not fully funded, the timeline may get pushed to start construction in 2027.
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