SouthEast Effective Development (SEED) celebrates the Spokane at Rainier Court – now home for nearly 100 seniors in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. The Spokane serves both older and disabled adults with 81 one- and two-bedroom apartments in a mixed-use building. The fourth building at SEED’s Rainier Court in Southeast Seattle, the Spokane brings the total number of affordable apartment homes at this community to more than 500.
“The residents of the Spokane moved in just before the COVID pandemic began,” said Michael Seiwerath, SEED Executive Director. “The building provided a stable home to seniors who may have not otherwise had an affordable place to live during COVID. This summer, we’re able to take a moment to celebrate the opening of these wonderful homes.”
This is the fourth project in the visionary and award-winning Rainier Court development. Contributing to the environmental health of the Rainier Valley, the Spokane benefits from the massive remediation of this formerly polluted site. Next to the Post Office, a grocery store, pharmacy, and a future city park, the Spokane is an amenity-rich location to age in place. The building is just off a major bus line and the Mount Baker light rail station is 3/4 mile away.
“Older adults living on fixed incomes have been particularly hard-hit by Seattle’s ongoing affordability crisis, as well as the COVID pandemic over the past year,” said Emily Alvarado, Director of the Seattle Office of Housing. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with SEED to support the creation of much-needed senior housing in this walkable, transit-oriented community.”
During the COVID crisis, SEED’s role at the Spokane grew. SEED partnered with the Seattle Fire Department and other local organizations to provide on-site vaccinations to senior and disabled residents. The rooftop garden provided a refuge and a place where residents could begin growing their own food.
“Seniors have been particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic and SEED’s efforts have created a safe, affordable place to live in a market where housing costs continue to increase,” said Ann Melone, business development officer with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, the tax credit and community investment subsidiary of U.S. Bank. “We’re proud to be an investor and lender on the Spokane, helping make Seattle a place everyone can continue to call home.”
SEED thanks the following partners in making the Spokane construction possible: City of Seattle Office of Housing, GeoEngineers Inc., Johnson Braund, Kantor Taylor, NorthMarq Capital, U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, Venture General Contractors, Washington State Department of Commerce, Washington State Department of Ecology Brownfields Program, and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
With the Spokane complete, SEED will next develop the fifth and final affordable building in the Rainier Court community.