A Groundbreaking Skyway Project Will Create Permanently Affordable Homes

More than 50 permanently affordable homes will be developed in Skyway-West Hill for current and former Skyway residents, specifically BIPOC families, as part of the Skyway Homeownership and Greenspace Project, which aims to prevent displacement "through sustainable development and long-term community stewardship." The project is led by a partnership between the Skyway Coalition, the Homestead Community Land Trust, and Community Land Conservancy.

The site of the project, Brooks Village, is 14.3 acres situated along Renton Avenue South and across South 116th Place. At least 3 acres are designated for housing, while the remaining will be preserved as green spaces, like wetlands and trails, for the residents. A virtual tour shows the topography of the area, including tree canopy, wetlands, and existing connections to transit, trails, and public spaces. The project's emphasis is to preserve and sustain the site's current environment.

The project also hopes to address disinvestment in the area and create opportunities for historically marginalized groups. Its construction plans include an urban farm for food security and opportunities for green job-training programs.

Kathleen Hosfeld, CEO and executive director of Homestead Community Land Trust, says the organization began its relationship with Skyway Coalition in 2019 to develop affordable housing in the area, but the pandemic slowed their plans. Still, the partner organizations met with the Skyway community through online meetings to discuss the Community Land Trust Action Plan. This plan had four pillars: affordable homeownership; community stewardship and environmental sustainability; economic development; and replication in other communities. In the summer and fall of 2023, Skyway Coalition began building connections with partner organizations, held gatherings to present information and gauge community priorities, and led a tour of the areas in Seattle impacted by redlining and racially restrictive covenants.

"It's really unusual for a community to initiate a relationship of this depth with an institutional developer like Homestead; usually, it's a very transactional relationship," Hosfeld said, pointing out that the usual process is finding a plot of land and then developing it, and community involvement comes after that process. For this project, Homestead worked with the community before a property was even acquired. And while partnerships between community land trusts and land conservancies are common, this project's intention to develop a high concentration of homes with community-stewarded green spaces is unique. "It's an asset for the whole community, not just a big greenbelt surrounding homes in the trust," Hosfeld said.

At the same time the partner organizations were planning this project, Hosfeld said King County was carrying on the work of former King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, who commissioned a study on anti-displacement in the Skyway and Highline area that identified the 14 acres of Brooks Village as a surplus property that could be developed. The County then had meetings on surplus properties with assets that could be used for homeownership. Homestead competed in the request for proposals for the land and was selected to assume ownership for development.

Funding for the project totals nearly $14 million: $2.5 million from the King County Council in 2022 ($500,000 of which will be used for pre-development, getting the area ready for construction); another $3.2 million from the King County Council's most recent budget; and $8 million from the Washington State Legislature. Homestead is working on fulfilling the requirements to complete the transfer of land.

During a two-day "placemaking" event in early June, the organizations launched their formal design for the project. Through workshops, storytelling, and activities, attendees were able to explore the history of systemic racism and displacement and discuss how to reclaim the community's cultural identity in a built environment. Community members were able to share their priorities and values with architects and planners of the project.

"During the placemaking event, one person said, 'We want this project to revillage our community.' … And I think that idea of revillaging creates a stronger sense of community," Hosfeld said. "I think this is about giving the people who have made Skyway what it is — and who either still call it home or have been pushed out but consider it home — a chance to reclaim that sense of home, identity, and belonging and actually go back to live there, if they choose."

Maisha Barnett is the historic preservation support specialist at 4Culture, where she works on preserving physical spaces and official landmark locations, like landmarks, bridges, and sculptures. She's seen urban projects that look good on paper but do not benefit people. However, Barnett says this project is different from other plans she's seen, in that it is building permanently affordable homes and community at the same time. The environmental preservation aspect is also something different than what she's seen before.

"This project goes against the grain, because it isn't emphasizing transit-oriented development — although there are benefits to [transit-oriented development], there are a lot of negatives, like the environmental impacts of living close to highways and spaces that are heavily polluted," she said.

Barnett says a lot of affordable housing development projects are located in dense urban areas with lots of pollution, less tree canopy, and fewer green spaces.

"So the fact that they're considering the current state of the space and enhancing it, not completely obliterating the natural beauty and benefits of that green space, and adding on to it by incorporating affordable housing, it's, in a way, environmental justice affordable housing development," said Barnett.

How Homestead Supports BIPOC Homeowners

Homestead says the community land trust approach was created by civil rights leaders in the 1960s and 1970s to prevent displacement and create first-time homebuying opportunities for people typically shut out of homeownership. The organization has helped more than 300 households become first-time homeowners throughout Seattle, Renton, and Tukwila. It has 246 homes in trust, and BIPOC make up more than half of its homeownership, at 58%.

The organization builds and rehabilitates high-quality homes, and then raises funds to lower the price of those homes to make them permanently affordable for eligible households. Buyers purchase homes at least 50% below the market price. Homestead retains ownership of the land and leases it to the homeowner through a 99-year renewable agreement. Homebuyers qualify to purchase a home with a traditional fixed-rate mortgage (or with ITIN or halal home financing) from a third-party lender, and they accrue equity through a combination of principal reduction and home appreciation.

This structure allows the homeowners modest appreciation while ensuring the home remains affordable for the next income-qualified buyer. Homeowners do not participate in full market appreciation of their homes, but they are protected from downward volatility in housing markets.

Homestead also provides post-purchase support in refinancing, repairs, and resales.

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, who represents Skyway, says the project is "personal," since he and his family moved to Skyway when he was 13 years old, and even as a child, he saw how the lack of government investment was reflected through the lack of parks or community gathering spaces.

In an email to the Emerald, Zahilay wrote that the opportunity was a "chance to begin addressing the long history of disinvestment in this community and to help families stay rooted here. … this project reflects the kind of future Skyway residents deserve — one where people can stay, thrive, and enjoy shared public spaces."

Through its innovative approach, this project will provide resources to past residents who were priced out of the Skyway neighborhood while creating a new space for future generations.

"This project is a step toward making sure Skyway remains a place people can call home for generations to come," Zahilay said.