January 22, 2026

Seattle invests $155M in affordable housing

Rendering by Weber Thompson [enlarge]

Sunbreak, with 244 affordable units, is set to break ground in the University District this year.

The city of Seattle is investing $155 million to expand affordable housing availability and stability citywide. The money will support the creation of 439 affordable rental units in new developments and the preservation and stability of 1,677 existing rentals.

A total of 20 projects will receive funding.

CREATING MORE HOUSING

The new units will be split across three developments, which between them are receiving $64 million. Those projects are Beacon Crossing on Beacon Hill, Little Saigon Landmark in the Chinatown-International District, and Sunbreak in the University District.

Beacon Crossing will add 125 units in a new building at 2500 14th Ave. S. Shelter Resources and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle are the developers. Weinstein A+U is the architect. Beacon Crossing will also have retail. The construction permit is in review. The builder is not currently known.

(Editors note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Beacon Crossing project at 2505 Beacon Ave. S. and referenced an earlier plan for that site with the same name, designed by Tiscareno. Shelter also owns that site).

Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) and Edge Developers comprise the development team for Little Saigon Landmark. The project is in permitting. It should break ground this year.

The proposal is to build a seven-story, 70-unit building that will replace the old Dong Hing Market at 1001 S. Jackson St. Mithun is the architect. BNBuilders is the general contractor. Nonprofit Friends of Little Saigon owns the site and will have community spaces in the new building. Side x Side Architects will design those.

Sunbreak, designed by Weber Thompson, is also expected to break ground this year. Bellwether Housing is developing the project in partnership with the University of Washington. The 16-story tower will rise at 4201 Roosevelt Way N.E. It will have 244 affordable and workforce apartments — 40% of those will be for renters at 60% area median income or below. Sunbreak will also house a 6,000-square-foot early learning childcare center with an outdoor play space. Turner is the general contractor. The DJC previously reported that University of Washington is ground leasing the project site to Bellwether.

FIXES FOR EXISTING HOMES

Photo via Willow Crossing leasing website [enlarge]

Willow Crossing is one of nine projects to receive stabilization funding from the city of Seattle.

The city is investing a total of $33 million in the rehabilitation of 822 existing affordable rental homes, across eight properties. These investments will help address deferred maintenance, extend long-term affordability, and ensure healthy and stable housing for current tenants, the city says.

Awarded projects include the historic Morrison building, at 517 Third Ave., and the Josephinum, at 1902 Second Ave.

The Morrison is owned and operated by Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC). It has 190 permanent supportive housing units and a new Opioid Recovery and Care Access center which opened in August. SMR Architects is designing the apartment rehab.

Archdiocesan Housing Authority owns Josephinum. It has 221 units.

For the first time, the city has also allocated funding to help stabilize 855 existing affordable rental homes through a $58 million investment. Awardees will use this investment to address urgent financial challenges, the city says. This includes the restructuring of debt and the coverage of key operating expenses to prevent the potential loss of these homes.

The full list of existing projects to receive funding is at https://tinyurl.com/155MAHSeattle.