MARYSVILLE — Sixty new units of affordable housing are bound for the shores of Twin Lakes near Smokey Point.
Construction, set to begin later this year, will more than double capacity at Twin Lakes Landing, a Housing Hope apartment complex for homeless and low-income families.
The project’s $19.2 million second phase will complete the nonprofit’s development of the 6-acre lot west of I-5.
“It is a unique site, it’s not often you see lakefront affordable housing,” said Fred Safstrom, CEO of Housing Hope. “I can’t think of a better place for families that have experienced the trauma of homelessness to really recover from that and have this peaceful environment at this location.”
The 60 living spaces will be townhome style, spread across four separate buildings with two or three stories. Included in the design are training spaces for life skills, play areas for kids, and offices for social workers.
“We will be bringing to them all of our resources, and helping them to address the barriers that are standing in the way between adequate income to escape poverty and homelessness,” Safstrom said.
Twin Lakes Landing debuted in December 2017 with 50 apartments: 38 units for people experiencing homelessness and 12 for low-income families. In phase two, Safstrom said apartments will be split equally between homeless and low-income housing.
Construction in the first stage used prefabricated, modular apartments built in Idaho that were designed to reduce costs on the $15 million project. Safstrom said the new build will use conventional construction after the cost was deemed equivalent.
Two Everett-based companies are involved in the expansion that is expected to conclude in the second half of 2022. Dykeman Architects designed the project. Kirtley-Cole Associates will be the general contractor.
Tim Jewett, principal with Dykeman Architects, said the project is planned with sustainability in mind, including the way it is insulated, solar panels on each building, low-energy heating systems and window placement designed for maximum sunlight in the summer and winter.
Once completed, the apartments will be just the second multi-family housing project in the state to meet certification standards as a Passive House, a designation acknowledging optimal energy efficiency. The efforts are funded in part by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Ultra-High Energy Efficiency program.
“Essentially, what it means is making maximum use of the site,” Safstrom said. “Every project we do we are able to build on the last one, and hopefully able to take it to a new level with each successful project.”
In recent months, Safstrom and Housing Hope have emphasized expanding supportive housing projects in south Snohomish County.
“There is nowhere in the county where there is adequate housing for homeless or for extremely low-income households,” Safstrom said.
Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3448; idavisleonard@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @IanDavisLeonard.
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