Groundbreaking: New Hope Family Housing!

On November 30th, friends, family, and congregation members along with affordable housing supporters, gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of New Hope Family Housing, a joint project of New Hope Community Development Institute (NHCDI) and LIHI. New Hope Family Housing is a new mixed-use development with 92 units for families and individuals earning up to 50% and 60% of the Area Median Income. located on two properties owned by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church at 114 and 123 - 21st Ave.

The 70-unit West building will contain 39 studio, 14 one-bedroom, and 17 two-bedroom apartments. The 22-unit East building will contain 5 studio, 6 one-bedroom, and 11 two-bedroom apartments. On-site amenities will include community rooms for each building, a roof-top terrace, ground-floor retail space for the nonprofit Clean Greens Farm & Market, office space for the Church and NHCDI, and on-site parking behind the west building. 

Speakers at the event included: Katie Wilson, Mayor-Elect of the City of Seattle; Rep Chipalo Street; Rev. Dr. Robert L. Jeffrey, Sr.; Tiffany Howard-Davis, NHCDI Board Chair; Rev. Dr. Johnny Youngblood, Pastor of House of Hope church; Wendy Armour, Director of Advancement for Byrd Barr Place; Curtis Riggins, Chair of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Deacon Board; Sharon Lee, LIHI Executive Director; and Caleb Stephen, KeyBank.

Weber Thompson is the architect and WG Clark is general contractor. The seven story buildings, totaling 71,530 square feet, are scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2027.

"NHCDI is energized as we see these much-needed affordable housing units built. Providing affordable housing in Seattle's Central District is part of our mission. We invite the public to share in this groundbreaking moment with us," said Tiffany Howard-Davis, NHCDI Board Chair.

Sharon Lee, LIHI executive director, said, “We are proud to partner with the New Hope Community Development Institute in creating the Central Area’s first affordable workforce development utilizing Seattle's new code that provides increased density on land owned by religious institutions. This is a win for the Church as it continues to own the land, and NHCDI benefits from a 99-years ground lease to build the first of many new buildings to serve the housing needs of the community.”

Financing comes from the Seattle Office of Housing, the Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund and Transit Oriented Development funds, Washington state Local Community Projects funding, Washington Community Reinvestment Association, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Seattle Equitable Development Initiative funding, and an investment of low-income housing tax credits from Enterprise. Construction financing is from KeyBank.