Converting an old, downtown Mountlake Terrace apartment building into subsidized low-income housing for veterans seemed like a good idea to Bob Davis, executive director of the Housing Authority of Snohomish County.
After all, he said, there’s a need for the housing and the Tall Firs Apartments, 23000 55th Ave. W. seemed perfect.
City Council members were sympathetic but decided April 2 to reject the proposal to convert the apartments into subsidized housing for seniors and veterans.
Councilwoman Michelle Robles said the city has supported the housing authority but in this case, the proposal doesn’t fit with the city’s plans for its Town Center neighborhood.
Each of the council members agreed with her. Councilwoman Kyoko Matsumoto Wright, a former Planning Commission member and housinig authority board member said it was a hard decision for her but “if we make one exception, we’ll have to make other exceptions.”
“I don’t support it at all,” said Mayor Jerry Smith. “We just spent four years fighting to get our zoning done.”
The Town Center, an area stretching from 244th Street Southwest at 56th Avenue West north to 232nd Street Southwest, has been rezoned for redevelopment that is expected to bring new buildings, many combined commercial and residential uses, downtown.
Davis said Tall Firs started as subsidized housing when it was built in 1977. Most of the residents are over 55 years old and low income.
“The building is sort of unique in that we don’t have all that many elevator buildings with controlled entries in Snohomish County,” Davis said.
The 40-unit apartment building sits on a 1.38 acre site. Under city regulations, the apartment can remain an apartment complex even under Town Center zoning changes but if it’s remodeled to a certain threshold, it would have to conform to new regulations, according to a memo to the council from Community and Economic Development Director Shane Hope.
Davis said the housing authority’s conversion plans would not have required it to comply with the new Town Center regulations.
“We’re disappointned and we will move on,” he said. “But I think there will be other non-profit entities that will be interested and probably want to do the same thing we were interested in doing with it.”
Mountlake Terrace is already home to three housing authority-run complexes: Markland Woods, 23301 Cedar Way; East Terrace at 4201 214th St. SW and North Terrace at 21401 52nd Ave. W. The YWCA of Seattle/Snohomish County runs Victorian Woods, 4003 212th St. SW.
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