52 Edmonds units, all affordable, to break ground soon

General contractor Kirtley-Cole Associates is poised to break ground on a new 52-unit permanent supportive housing community in Edmonds this month.

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held before Memorial Day for what nonprofit developer Housing Hope now calls Madrona Highlands. The community is expected to open next year.

Everett-based Housing Hope is developing the project in partnership with Edmonds Lutheran Church. Madrona Highlands will be built on land owned by Edmonds Lutheran on a vacant field east of the church at 23525 84th Ave. W. A new address will likely emerge for the development.

Madrona Highlands is for families of low incomes. Half of the units will be for families experiencing homelessness. The other half will be reserved for those earning less than 50% of the area median income. The unit mix is six one-bedroom apartments, 34 two-bedroom apartments, and 12 three-bedroom apartments. Units are split across four connected three-story buildings. The community will also include a community room, offices for social services and employment counselors, and outdoor play spaces for children. Fifty parking spaces are planned.

ARC Architects of Seattle and Designs Northwest Architects designed Madrona Highlands.

The development is costing $30 million. According to Beneficial State Bank, which has contributed $16.5 million towards construction financing that will be paid down to a $6.35 million loan at the end of construction, funding sources include tax credits, loans, grants, and donations.

The apartments will operate as permanent supportive housing, and tenants can stay as long as they wish.

The church has wanted to build affordable housing for its neighbors at the site for years and had previously partnered with Compass Housing Alliance and pre-fabricated housing manufacturer Blokable to build a 90-unit affordable development there. The proposal was to build the units using Blokable’s pre-fabricated units that fit together like building blocks. That project ultimately did not proceed and was scrapped in 2020.

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