By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties (Habitat SKKC) has completed the largest condominium development in Habitat for Humanity’s 40-year history, creating 58 permanently affordable homes in Seattle’s Columbia City and setting a new benchmark for affordable homeownership.
The milestone will be celebrated this Saturday, July 18, when Habitat hosts a community block party marking the official completion of Liberty Commons, the five-story development located along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, just two blocks from the Columbia City light rail station.
The 58-home condominium complex is the largest single multifamily building completed by a Habitat for Humanity affiliate worldwide. Located directly on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and designed as a high-density, transit-oriented development, Liberty Commons offers residents convenient access to public transportation while creating a new model for affordable homeownership in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. The development includes five studio units, 26 one-bedroom homes and 27 two-bedroom homes.
“We wanted to maximize this investment and really try to put as much of an impact as we could on the homeownership and housing crisis that we’re all working on here in Seattle,” said Ali Sheibani, Habitat SKKC’s vice president of Community Development Finance.
The project began under very different circumstances.
“I think it was summer of 2021,” Sheibani recalled. “We were approached by a real estate developer and investor that owned the property and were planning on originally building apartments, those tiny little micro-units. They were going to build a 100-unit building there in that space, but the market had softened, so they weren’t able to make that pencil anymore.”
Rather than continuing with apartments, the developer sold the property to Habitat SKKC. The nonprofit was able to move quickly thanks in part to a historic gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, which gave Habitat the financial flexibility to acquire the property at a discounted price when the opportunity presented itself.
From there, Habitat began reimagining what affordable homeownership could look like in one of Seattle’s fastest-growing neighborhoods.
Unlike Habitat’s traditional single-family homes and townhouses, Liberty Commons required the organization to take on its most ambitious construction project to date. The five-story building includes an elevator, structured parking and a 2,000-square-foot shared courtyard designed to foster community among residents.
“Our normal style of building are either single-family homes or townhome-style builds,” Sheibani said. “Doing these high-rise condos… this is going to be a very large, ambitious endeavor on our end. In fact, this building at 58 units will be the largest single Habitat building in the world once it’s completed.”
To complete the project, Habitat partnered with general contractor Exxel Pacific and assembled financing through a combination of public and private investments. The funding included a $6 million investment from the state of Washington, support from the City of Seattle, and contributions from Amazon, the National Housing Trust and Washington Trust Bank.
Liberty Commons also introduces a different approach to affordable homeownership.
The development operates as a Community Land Trust. Homeowners purchase their condominium while leasing the land beneath it, helping ensure the homes remain permanently affordable for future generations. Residents build equity over time, but resale appreciation is capped at 1.5% annually so future buyers can also afford to purchase a home.
For many working families, affordability is what makes the development unique.
The homes are reserved for households earning 80% or less of the area’s median income, with monthly housing costs capped at no more than 35% of a family’s gross income.
“These homes are affordable to folks making under $80,000, actually folks making $42,000 to $65,000 a year depending on the unit size.,” Sheibani said. “So at $42,000, that’s minimum wage in Seattle. Someone making minimum wage in Seattle can own a home and can own a condo. Someone working a front desk, or an admin position, or is a driver, or a first-year apprentice at a union… all those folks can participate in homeownership in Seattle.”
For Sheibani, Liberty Commons also challenges long-held assumptions about who Habitat serves.
“They don’t have to move out to Tacoma to be able to build equity right here in the city that they love,” he said. “We are the starter home alternative. I think people think of Habitat as being for the ‘needy,’ and that’s just not true anymore. This is about homeownership opportunities for all of us.”
To help first-time buyers succeed, Habitat offers financial counseling and down payment assistance. Eligible buyers may also qualify for the Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s Covenant Homeownership Program.
The organization also operates a Debt Barrier Removal Program, which helps qualified buyers eliminate outstanding collections or other debts that may prevent them from qualifying for a mortgage. Military veterans may also qualify for down payment assistance of up to $150,000 through Habitat’s veteran assistance program.
Habitat will celebrate the completion of Liberty Commons from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday with a community block party honoring the development and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The speaking program begins at 1 p.m. at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club, 4520 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., followed by guided tours of Liberty Commons beginning at 2 p.m. Complimentary shuttle service will run continuously between the two locations.
The celebration will include live music, local food trucks, family-friendly activities and community resource tables.
Applications for the remaining homes at Liberty Commons remain open for eligible buyers.
“I think homeownership is something that anyone can achieve,” Sheibani said. “I think they should just take a chance and apply.”
By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties (Habitat SKKC) has completed the largest condominium development in Habitat for Humanity’s 40-year history, creating 58 permanently affordable homes in Seattle’s Columbia City and setting a new benchmark for affordable homeownership.
The milestone will be celebrated this Saturday, July 18, when Habitat hosts a community block party marking the official completion of Liberty Commons, the five-story development located along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, just two blocks from the Columbia City light rail station.
The 58-home condominium complex is the largest single multifamily building completed by a Habitat for Humanity affiliate worldwide. Located directly on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and designed as a high-density, transit-oriented development, Liberty Commons offers residents convenient access to public transportation while creating a new model for affordable homeownership in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. The development includes five studio units, 26 one-bedroom homes and 27 two-bedroom homes.
“We wanted to maximize this investment and really try to put as much of an impact as we could on the homeownership and housing crisis that we’re all working on here in Seattle,” said Ali Sheibani, Habitat SKKC’s vice president of Community Development Finance.
The project began under very different circumstances.
“I think it was summer of 2021,” Sheibani recalled. “We were approached by a real estate developer and investor that owned the property and were planning on originally building apartments, those tiny little micro-units. They were going to build a 100-unit building there in that space, but the market had softened, so they weren’t able to make that pencil anymore.”
Rather than continuing with apartments, the developer sold the property to Habitat SKKC. The nonprofit was able to move quickly thanks in part to a historic gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, which gave Habitat the financial flexibility to acquire the property at a discounted price when the opportunity presented itself.
From there, Habitat began reimagining what affordable homeownership could look like in one of Seattle’s fastest-growing neighborhoods.
Unlike Habitat’s traditional single-family homes and townhouses, Liberty Commons required the organization to take on its most ambitious construction project to date. The five-story building includes an elevator, structured parking and a 2,000-square-foot shared courtyard designed to foster community among residents.
“Our normal style of building are either single-family homes or townhome-style builds,” Sheibani said. “Doing these high-rise condos… this is going to be a very large, ambitious endeavor on our end. In fact, this building at 58 units will be the largest single Habitat building in the world once it’s completed.”
To complete the project, Habitat partnered with general contractor Exxel Pacific and assembled financing through a combination of public and private investments. The funding included a $6 million investment from the state of Washington, support from the City of Seattle, and contributions from Amazon, the National Housing Trust and Washington Trust Bank.
Liberty Commons also introduces a different approach to affordable homeownership.
The development operates as a Community Land Trust. Homeowners purchase their condominium while leasing the land beneath it, helping ensure the homes remain permanently affordable for future generations. Residents build equity over time, but resale appreciation is capped at 1.5% annually so future buyers can also afford to purchase a home.
For many working families, affordability is what makes the development unique.
The homes are reserved for households earning 80% or less of the area’s median income, with monthly housing costs capped at no more than 35% of a family’s gross income.
“These homes are affordable to folks making under $80,000, actually folks making $42,000 to $65,000 a year depending on the unit size.,” Sheibani said. “So at $42,000, that’s minimum wage in Seattle. Someone making minimum wage in Seattle can own a home and can own a condo. Someone working a front desk, or an admin position, or is a driver, or a first-year apprentice at a union… all those folks can participate in homeownership in Seattle.”
For Sheibani, Liberty Commons also challenges long-held assumptions about who Habitat serves.
“They don’t have to move out to Tacoma to be able to build equity right here in the city that they love,” he said. “We are the starter home alternative. I think people think of Habitat as being for the ‘needy,’ and that’s just not true anymore. This is about homeownership opportunities for all of us.”
To help first-time buyers succeed, Habitat offers financial counseling and down payment assistance. Eligible buyers may also qualify for the Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s Covenant Homeownership Program.
The organization also operates a Debt Barrier Removal Program, which helps qualified buyers eliminate outstanding collections or other debts that may prevent them from qualifying for a mortgage. Military veterans may also qualify for down payment assistance of up to $150,000 through Habitat’s veteran assistance program.
Habitat will celebrate the completion of Liberty Commons from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday with a community block party honoring the development and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The speaking program begins at 1 p.m. at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club, 4520 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., followed by guided tours of Liberty Commons beginning at 2 p.m. Complimentary shuttle service will run continuously between the two locations.
The celebration will include live music, local food trucks, family-friendly activities and community resource tables.
Applications for the remaining homes at Liberty Commons remain open for eligible buyers.
“I think homeownership is something that anyone can achieve,” Sheibani said. “I think they should just take a chance and apply.”
