On Monday, September 16, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties broke ground on 5022 MLK in the Columbia City neighborhood. With 58 affordable housing units, 5022 MLK is our largest endeavor to date, surpassing the Miller’s Creek 40-home project underway in Burien, where we broke ground in August.
Slated for completion in Spring of 2028, 5022 MLK is also the largest Habitat for Humanity single building multi-family project in the country—surpassing the previous largest single building project, the 56-unit Sydney House in the Bronx borough of New York.
In attendance and speaking were Lt. Governor Denny Heck and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, both champions of affordable housing, as well as Lily Kim with Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund and Habitat Homebuyer Elena D.
5022 MLK capitalizes on smart density design with five stories of condominiums, including five studios, 26 one-bedroom units, and 27 two-bedroom units with homes ranging in size from 370 to 690 square-feet. The project will also include a 2,000 square-foot outdoor courtyard designed to encourage a sense of shared community within the project.
Located in Seattle’s culturally and economically diverse Columbia City neighborhood, 5022 MLK is a Transit Oriented Development (TOD). The site is located just two blocks from the Columbia City Light Rail Station for easy access to jobs, schools, restaurants, and services. Legislative work conducted by Habitat SKKC in 2023 helped to make the project possible by securing a $6 million investment from Washington State.
As with all new home projects developed by Habitat SKKC in King County, this community will offer families making less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) affordable homes with mortgages set at no more than 35% of their incomes. The property will be placed in a Land Trust ensuring permanent affordability for future generations. In an area with average home prices at $850,000 and rising, these homes will ensure that families with low incomes continue to have a place to build lives in Seattle for generations to come.
The 5022 MLK project was made possible through the support of Washington State, The City of Seattle, Washington State Department of Commerce, Amazon and the National Housing Trust, Washington Trust Bank, and the Washington State Department of Ecology.