February 25, 2021

100 apartments for the homeless to be done next year

Rendering provided by SMR Architects [enlarge]

Plymouth Housing is developing the seven-story building in partnership with St. Francis House.

Plymouth Housing expects to open in 2022 an apartment building for people who have been homeless long-term. The project is located at 1108 E. Spruce St. on the edge of the First Hill neighborhood in Seattle.

The seven-story building is being developed in partnership with St. Francis House on a site where St. Francis has operated since the 1980s. It will be the new home for the organization, which serves people experiencing homelessness. St. Francis will own and operate the ground floor space which will allow it to continue helping those in need with essential supplies such as food and clothing. The space will also provide a place for people to gather.

Schemata Workshop designed that space for St. Francis and did a feasibility study for it regarding the property.

In a press release, Plymouth said the residential part of the building will have 100 studio apartments for single adults, many of whom are veterans, and three apartments for full-time staff. It will also have offices for building staff and housing case management, a nurse's office, flexible-use common rooms for community-building, a front desk and outdoor community space. Plymouth said the 100 residents will have access to 24/7 supportive services to help them recover from years of homelessness.

The average unit size will be 310 square feet.

Plymouth said the project team is W.G. Clark Construction, general contractor, and SMR Architects, architect, along with 4EA Building Science, Fazio Associates Landscape Architects, Kantor Taylor, KPFF Consulting Engineers, PanGEO and Reid Middleton.

Construction started in November. Plymouth said the total residential development cost is $31.6 million and the residential square footage is 52,393.

St. Francis House Executive Director Laura Young said, “Our new space was specifically designed by Schemata Workshop with the dignity of our clients in mind. They'll enjoy a more welcoming, open space, a beautiful courtyard, and a boutique-like shopping experience with proper dressing rooms. We were naturally drawn to Plymouth Housing as a partner based on our shared values, and the strong sense of community we witnessed after touring several of their properties.”

Paul Lambros, CEO of Plymouth Housing, said “by working together, we'll provide permanent supportive housing and an essential safety net to those who have served our country. This partnership is an incredible way for both organizations to further our missions and help more people, holistically.”

This is the fourth of six buildings to be funded by Plymouth's PROOF Campaign. Other funding for the 1108 E. Spruce St. project is from St. Francis House, City of Seattle Office of Housing (City of Seattle Housing Levy), Washington State Housing Finance Commission (9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits), Washington State Department of Commerce (Washington State Housing Trust Fund), Capital One, Federal Home Loan Bank (Affordable Housing Program), National Equity Fund and Sound Community Bank.