Affordable housing near transit can transform communities and change lives.
For Cedar Crossing residents Sofia Guia and Angel Lara, it means safety, stability and access to opportunities.
"The area is great for us," Lara said. "The kids are having an amazing time because everything is super close by."
The new transit-oriented development (TOD) adjacent to Roosevelt Station is hosting a ceremonial ribbon cutting today.
Bellwether Housing and Mercy Housing Northwest jointly developed the project and welcomed their first residents earlier this summer.
"When affordable transportation is combined with affordable housing - the combination of those two things can create a synergy in people's lives that just takes two of their biggest worries off the table. And that's amazing," said Joe Thompson, Mercy Housing Northwest President.
Check out this video to hear more from the Cedar Crossing residents and affordable housing leaders in our region:
The new development has 254 apartments, including including 91 two-and three-bedroom units for families.
Through a partnership with Seattle Children's Hospital and Mary’s Place, some Cedar Crossing housing is set aside for children with high medical needs and their families.
The building also offers housing to veterans, senior veterans and their families.
"The really good stuff happens when a family moves in. A building gets to change from a building to a community and an apartment gets to change from an apartment to a home," said Thompson.
Sound Transit and the Seattle Office of Housing partnered to create affordable housing near the station by offering the property at a discounted price.
Contractors used the site as construction staging for the station and light rail tunnels to Northgate as part of the Northgate Link light rail extension that opened in October 2021.
Thousands of housing units have been built or are planned for our surplus property around the region, most of them affordable to those earning 80 percent of area median income or below.
"We have always focused on transit centers because we know how important that is to people who are trying to get themselves out of an economically challenging situation," said Bellwether Housing CEO Susan Boyd.
More stories on transit-oriented development
Hopefully this isn't the first time you've run across our continuing coverage of these transit projects.
Check out our past stories for more action shots and information on new stations, new art and more.