June 2, 2025

LIHI eyes 2026 groundbreaking for Bainbridge Island project

Renderings by Runberg Architecture Group [enlarge]

The project’s conceptual design includes roof terraces and a new pedestrian park.

The Low Income Housing Institute was selected last summer by the city of Bainbridge Island to build a new affordable housing building on a vacant city-owned site that was formerly a police headquarters property at 625 Winslow Way E.

Some new details of that project, which is still in design, are now emerging. LIHI is proposing to build a four-story building with roughly 90 units of affordable workforce housing (the original estimated number was slightly higher at 100 units). Some of those will be live/work units, on the building's ground level facing Winslow Way.

Rents will be affordable to households earning up to 60% of area median income.

Runberg Architecture Group is the architect for the new building. The project team also includes MIG for civil engineering and landscape architecture. A general contractor is yet to be selected as construction isn't due to commence until December 2026.

[enlarge]

Early draft concept for LIHI’s proposed affordable workforce housing project at 625 Winslow Way E. on land owned by the city of Bainbridge Island.

The property will include some commercial space, likely facing north to Winslow Way. Also proposed are programmed roof terraces and a new pedestrian park adjacent to Olympic Drive Southeast.

The building, which is currently unnamed, will sit on a ground lease with the city and will be located a few steps uphill from the Winslow ferry terminal.

Design review is slated for October. LIHI held a community listening session for the project last week.

The DJC previously reported that the city anticipates a project value of over $50 million. The city will contribute $3 million. Other funding sources include Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

According to the National Community Survey, Bainbridge Island scored in the bottom 3% of the national benchmark for availability of affordable housing, meaning many low/moderate income workers on the island can't afford to live near their place of employment.

“There's such a crisis of affordable housing on the island,” Sharon Lee, LIHI's founding executive director, said.