EVERETT — A proposal to build housing for students at Trinity Lutheran College in downtown Everett will move forward.
The small Christian school plans to build a six-story, 100-unit residence hall on the southwest corner of California Street and Oakes Avenue.
On Nov. 5, the Everett City Council approved an ordinance that allows the school to begin development.
A plan has not been submitted to the city yet, said Allan Giffen, director of planning and community development.
Trinity Lutheran College relocated to Everett from Issaquah in 2007 and has about 250 students. Its main building is at 2802 Wetmore Ave., and the school’s main parking garage is across the street. The school also leases two buildings on Hoyt Avenue, one of which is used for student housing.
Plans for the residence hall were set back when Jim Potter, founder of developer Footprint Investments, died in May. A new developer, Koz Development, has taken over the project.
A second hitch recently emerged when a lender for the project worried about limiting the occupancy of the new building to students only, especially if Trinity Lutheran College didn’t maintain its presence in downtown Everett.
The amended ordinance approved last week addresses that concern by allowing the building to be converted into market-rate housing, assuming that neither Everett Community College nor Washington State University in Everett wanted to take over the residence hall, and that whoever takes over ownership of the building also owns the parking garage.
The conversion would have to be total, so that the building would not have students and renters living side-by-side.
The initial proposal for the residence hall calls for 200-square-foot rooms, along with common areas. The units could have small bathrooms but not full kitchens, Giffen said.
Giffen said the developer’s initial goal of starting construction by January probably won’t be met due to the delays.
The new building would have a small parking garage of its own, but the school plans to use its existing garage to meet the city’s requirements for a minimum of one parking space per unit.
The developer would own the building and the college would lease it with an option to buy.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
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