EVERETT — An effort to bring 65 units of affordable housing to Broadway is getting closer to breaking ground.
The city is collecting public comment on the proposed construction of HopeWorks Station II. That’s next door to HopeWorks Station I, a socially conscious set of businesses at 3331 Broadway that includes CafeWorks.
HopeWorks is a local nonprofit affiliated with Housing Hope. Years ago, the organization announced plans to create housing linked to job training. The majority of the units will be leased to tenants who are currently homeless. Low-income families also will be housed.
Affordable housing stock is one of Everett’s most pressing issues.
HopeWorks is a different kind of project than the low-barrier housing the city aims to create on Berkshire Drive near Evergreen Way. Another City Council briefing on the Berkshire project is likely in the next month or two. The council could take a vote in October, with construction to follow.
At Station II, a five-story building is planned. The lower two stories would be commercial space used in line with HopeWorks’ previous efforts. There would be job training in culinary skills and food service for Housing Hope residents and others who receive assistance from local service groups. More than 90 parking stalls are expected, a mix of street-level and underground.
Project leaders say they will house people who will live alone, along with couples and small families. Tenants are screened for violent crimes and must follow state laws regarding drug use, said Fred Safstrom, CEO for Housing Hope.
“The goal of the project is to serve households that are seeking opportunities for job training and career development,” he said.
Housing Hope operates 21 apartment complexes in Snohomish County. The average resident stays a couple of years until he or she is ready to seek more permanent housing.
“All of our projects are very peacefully managed and fit in well with the neighborhoods,” Safstrom said.
Station II draws funding from about a dozen private and public sources. In June, HopeWorks announced a $350,000 grant award from The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. Another $2.76 million was earmarked in the state capital budget that lawmakers recently failed to pass. The financing for Station II is scheduled to become final in December.
The public comment period runs through Aug. 10. Afterward, the city considers the submissions and reviews the project again. A go-ahead can be issued only after officials determine that Everett’s land-use rules would be met.
HopeWorks expects to open Station II in 2019, with a ground-breaking in January 2018.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking.
Comments
The proposed HopeWorks housing project would be next door to 3331 Broadway. To provide comment to the city or ask questions about the proposal, contact Teresa Weldon at 425-257-7281, tweldon@everettwa.gov, or write to: city of Everett, Permit Services, Attn: Project Planner Teresa Weldon, 3200 Cedar St., Second Floor, Everett, Wa., 98201. The deadline is Aug. 10.
For more information about HopeWorks, go to www.hopewrks.org.
