It was a full house at Wednesday’s Ballard District Council meeting. Many in attendance were there to hear details of the proposed housing by the Low Incoming Housing Institute (LIHI) at 2014 NW 57th St.
The vacant lot at 2014 NW 57th St.
Sharon Lee, the executive director of LIHI did a show-and-tell of several LIHI buildings around the city, including one in Lake City, South Lake Union and a new one in the University District. “If you’re interested, I’d love to have you come visit and tour some of our buildings,” Lee told the group.
According to a letter being sent to immediate neighbors, the proposed facility in Ballard would include 40 to 60 units of affordable housing for families and individuals. The studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments would be for families and individuals with annual incomes of no more than $51,360 for a four-person household and $41,100 for a two-person household. Twenty-percent of the units would be set aside for homeless families. “Our priority would be to house the working people in Ballard and we will work with you on reaching out to people who need affordable housing in Ballard,” Lee says, “We think it’s very important to have people who work in Ballard be able to afford to live in Ballard.”
Along with with apartment units, the first floor would be a designated “urban rest stop.” Ronni Gilboa, the manager of the Urban Rest Stop at 1924 9th Avenue says, “What we’re looking at is a facility that provides showers and laundry and bathrooms for homeless people who need it.” There will also be other auxiliary services such as nurses and other health educators.
Lee believes the urban rest stop will not attract people from outside the neighborhood. “We think the urban rest stop will be most used by people who are in Ballard,” she says, including homeless individuals and car campers, poor.
To learn more about the proposed facility, LIHI will host a public meeting on October 27th at 6:30 p.m. at Swedish Ballard (5300 Tallman Ave NW) in Conference Room A. You can read the entire “Dear Neighbor” letter here. (.pdf)