Tacoma micro units open, with half set aside for low-income students

A new apartment building in Tacoma by Koz Development will make half its 104 units available to homeless and low-income students at the University of Washington Tacoma.

A 2014 survey done by school faculty found that 14 percent of their students were struggling to find housing.

The building is called Koz on Market. It has seven stories of micro units above 1,400 square feet of basement-level retail at 1554 Market St. The site is across the street from the UWT campus and within blocks of Tacoma Link’s Convention Center light rail stop.

Twenty-six of the 52 affordable apartments will be for homeless UWT students. The remaining affordable units, in order of priority, will be for:

• UWT students experiencing housing insecurity

• UWT students transferring from Tacoma Community College and who were enrolled in its housing assistance program

• Other UWT students

• Other low-income households earning up to 60 percent of area median income

Housing partners include Tacoma Housing Authority and Associated Students of UW Tacoma.

Units in the new building average 255 square feet and come equipped with beds, kitchen appliances, coffee tables and side chairs.

Market rates for the units range from $800 to $950 a month, including utilities and Wi-Fi. Tenants in subsidized units will pay $392-$784, depending on their income level.

Snohomish-based Koz designs its projects in house. Corstone Contractors was the general contractor for Koz on Market.

Cathy Reines, president and CEO of Koz, said that when she was contacted by UWT and the housing authority about the student housing program she was immediately interested, but wanted to work out the details quickly because the apartments were on track to open soon.

The housing contract is for four years.

THA offers rental subsidies to market-rate and nonprofit housing owners who agree to rent some of their apartments to households with low-incomes.

The public development authority provides housing or housing assistance to more than 12,000 people, or about 6 percent of Tacoma’s population.

THA announced separately in October that it would fund 123 units of affordable housing in three existing buildings for Tacoma Community College students and other low-income residents and families.

https://www.djc.com/news/re/12118150.html