Residents rejoice for plan to save Bellevue affordable housing complex

BELLEVUE -- There were tears of joy in Bellevue on Friday evening, as residents of Highland Village Apartments were told they could stay in their homes.

The plan to save one of the last affordable housing options in the area was unveiled to residents during a community meeting. The City of Bellevue, the King County Housing Authority, and members of the state legislature all worked together to make it happen.

"For Bellevue, this was in a sense a test of, do we really mean we want to work on affordable housing?  And this was an opportunity that came up to make something happen and we were determined to do that," said Bellevue Mayor John Stokes.

Instead of being re-developed and sold as condos, the 76 apartments will now be bought by the housing authority. Officials say rent will be staying the same and no one will have to move.

"This is gonna be the greatest good news of the year. This is Merry Christmas. This is Merry Christmas. I love it,” said Michael Simekhs, who lives at Highland Village.

The mayor said that upon hearing community concerns, even the developer changed his mind.  Intracorp had submitted plans to redevelop the property to build 87 new, for sale townhomes.

City leaders called it an unprecedented agreement in favor of affordable housing.

"I have a daughter and she's in school," said Simekhs.  "This is really going to be really really good news for her.  Thank you!  It's a win for the kids."

Simekhs said Highland Village is the only way his daughter could ever go to school in the Bellevue School District.  He said the apartment complex is the only place he could afford in Bellevue.

The King County Housing Authority expects to complete the acquisition of the property within the next 30 days and renovate the property over the next two years, while keeping rents at or near their current levels.

Copyright 2016 KING

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Winston Peters accused of 'race-baiting' attack on Chinese air crew

Image
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is being accused of "race-baiting" over an attack on Chinese airline crew moving into a former special housing area that was designed to help solve Auckland's housing crisis . In a statement headed " Mt Albert state housing land now in Chinese hands", Peters said some of the former Housing NZ land at 98-130 Haverstock Rd in Sandringham "went to China Southern Airlines people from China and not to ease the housing shortage for Auckland residents". He attached a photo showing a banner in front of a house saying in Chinese and English: "Warmly welcome the leadership from Aviation Services Department to China Southern Airlines Crew Apartment in Auckland, New Zealand." The property was given Special Housing Area status in May 2014, with a requirement 10 per cent of homes must be "affordable. These areas were disestablished when the new Auckland Unitary Plan came into force last Septe...
Read more

Atlanta time travel made possible through photo collection

Atlanta is a city of change, with construction constantly reshaping the urban realm. Buildings rise, buildings fall, and as the population of the city grows, so too has the skyline. Now, RentCafe has assembled 10 amazing, interactive “then-and-now” photos to highlight how Atlanta has been reshaped over the last 150 years. While some scenes are hardly recognizable, others illustrate how the city has actually saved some of its oldest structures. Off to the visual journey: ^ The first view is of Margaret Mitchell Square at the intersection of Peachtree and Forsyth Streets in the heart of downtown. The Candler Building in the background still stands today and is being converted into a hotel, while the narrow tower in the foreground of the 1938 image was reduced to just three stories to prevent its collapse during construction of Peachtree Center MARTA Station , which sits below the site. ^ Nothing remains today from this view of Whitehall Street in 1864. Now known as Peachtree, the road...
Read more

Questions on immigration, race follow Trump to Arizona - 3TV

By JULIE BYKOWICZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- Trying to recapture the Republican fervor that helped put him in office, President Donald Trump travels to Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday to visit the nation's southern border and to Phoenix to rally thousands of supporters in a state where he's trashed both Republican senators. The two-day trip, which also includes a stop in Reno, Nevada, to speak to veterans at an American Legion conference , marks his farthest journey west since taking office in January. [RELATED: Arpaio says he wasn't invited to Trump rally in Phoenix] [RELATED: Gov. Ducey to skip Trump rally in Phoenix, VP Pence to attend] [CONTROVERSIAL VISIT: Some protesters registering for Trump rally but don't plan to attend] It comes at a politically turbulent time for the president. On Monday night, he addressed the nation about his decision to maintain a U.S. presence in Afghanistan, an action at odds with his repeated promises on the campaign trail to end...
Read more