Permanent Affordable Housing Is Coming to the Columbia City Light Rail Station Area

Two dozen affordable homes will be built along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, thanks to a city initiative that turns surplus Sound Transit properties into housing development.

On Sept. 30, the Seattle Department of Housing (DOH) awarded funds to Homestead Community Land Trust (HCLT) and the African Community Housing & Development (ACHD) from the Rainier Valley Affordable Homeownership Initiative. A combined total of $3.1 million was granted to the projects.

The initiative was created in 2017, after community engagement efforts found Rainier Valley wanted more affordable housing, according to the DOH.

"There's a huge, huge need for all types of affordable housing," HCLT CEO and Executive Director Kathleen Hosfeld said. "But there's a special need for affordable homeownership."

Sound Transit transferred 10 parcels of land, originally purchased for light rail construction along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, to the City of Seattle "at no cost" on the condition that the properties be used for affordable housing, according to Mara D'Angelo, the acting director of community development at Sound Transit.

The first three of the 10 parcels hosting upcoming affordable housing sites along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South were announced in 2022. Four more sites were selected a year later, with three jointly developed by ACHD and Habitat for Humanity Seattle and one by HCLT.

The two new sites are within one block of the Columbia City light rail station.

At Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Edmunds Street, ACHD plans to build eight four-bedroom townhomes designed for multigenerational families, said ACHD communications manager Lauren Rosenthal. As one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Washington, Rosenthal spoke to the importance of building affordable housing in neighborhoods rooted in immigrant and BIPOC communities.

"Due to gentrification and history of redlining, these people have often been pushed out," Rosenthal said. "Permanent affordable housing provides them a chance for an actual permanence and the opportunity to build generational wealth."

HCLT plans to build 16 stacked flats for purchase at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Angeline Street. The units will be priced to meet the financial needs of those who don't meet Seattle's median home value, Hosfeld said. In 2025, this was over $847,000.

"The only folks that can afford that are usually two-income households with tech salaries," Hosfeld said. "So if you're a regular person, who works as a transit operator or a nurse or a teacher, [they] are completely priced out."

This permanent housing will be available to households that earn 80% of the area median income (AMI), according to the city.

One more Sound Transit site remains, which is expected to be announced in 2026, according to the DOH.