A groundbreaking ceremony for New Hope Family Housing will take place Sunday, November 30 at 2 p.m. at 124 21st Avenue in Seattle. The event will mark the start of construction on a 92-unit affordable housing development located on properties owned by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church at 114 and 123 21st Avenue.
Developed by the New Hope Community Development Institute (NHCDI) in partnership with the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), the mixed-use project will provide housing for individuals and families earning up to 50 and 60 percent of the area median income. The development will span two buildings.
The west building will include 70 apartments: 39 studios, 14 one-bedroom units, and 17 two-bedroom units. The east building will contain 22 apartments: 5 studios, 6 one-bedroom units, and 11 two-bedroom units. On-site amenities will include community rooms in each building, a rooftop terrace, ground-floor retail space for nonprofit Clean Greens Farm & Market, office space for the Church and NHCDI, and parking located behind the west building.
Speakers scheduled to appear at the ceremony include Katie Wilson, mayor-elect of Seattle; Rev. Dr. Johnny Youngblood, pastor of House of Hope Church; Wendy Armour, director of advancement for Byrd Barr Place; Curtis Riggins, chair of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Deacon Board; Sharon Lee, LIHI executive director; and Caleb Stephen of KeyBank. The development was designed by Weber Thompson and will be constructed by general contractor WG Clark. The seven-story buildings will total 71,530 square feet and are expected to be completed in spring 2027.
“NHCDI is energized as we see these much-needed affordable housing units built. Providing affordable housing in Seattle’s Central District is part of our mission. We invite the public to share in this groundbreaking moment with us,” said Tiffany Howard-Davis, NHCDI board chair.
“We are proud to partner with the New Hope Community Development Institute in creating the Central Area’s first affordable workforce development utilizing Seattle’s new code that provides increased density on land owned by religious institutions. This is a win for the Church as it continues to own the land, and NHCDI benefits from a 99-year ground lease to build the first of many new buildings to serve the housing needs of the community,” said Sharon Lee, LIHI executive director.
Financing for the project includes funding from the Seattle Office of Housing, the Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund, Transit Oriented Development funds, Washington state Local Community Projects funding, Washington Community Reinvestment Association, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Seattle Equitable Development Initiative funding, and low-income housing tax credit investment from Enterprise. Construction financing is provided by KeyBank.
The event is free and open to the public. A free community dinner will be served at the Church from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. before the start of the ceremony.
