On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Habitat SKKC welcomed the community to Columbia City to celebrate the completion of the newest affordable homeownership building in the South Seattle neighborhood, Liberty Commons. The event, part of Habitat SKKC’s 40th anniversary year, brought together new homeowners, community partners, volunteers, supporters, and neighbors to mark the milestone completion of the largest single-building, multifamily project in Habitat for Humanity’s history.
Columbia City is one of the most diverse and desirable neighborhoods in Seattle. It’s also meaningful to our organization, as it’s where we completed our first home in 1988. From a single home nearly 40 years ago to 58 homes today, Liberty Commons is emblematic of the immense growth of our impact on the region. At the dedication, hosted by our friends at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club, over 200 people gathered to celebrate the new Liberty Commons community and connect with the neighbors who have long called Columbia City home.
The lineup of speakers included representatives from the many organizations who helped fund this project, along with Habitat SKKC CEO Brett D’Antonio and Habitat for Humanity International’s (HFHI) Adrienne Goolsby. While reflecting on the project, she pointed out its location on MLK Jr. Way S., drawing inspiration and hope from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s instruction that, “We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.”
We too were inspired by Dr. King’s vision for a better future via a more just society, and we felt that Liberty Commons needed a name that reflected the possibility that homeownership promises. In 2025, we partnered with The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change to name the building in honor of Dr. King’s legacy as an advocate for fair housing. “Liberty” represents the freedom implied in the 1968 Fair Housing Act that prohibited discrimination in housing. “Commons” represents the shared community we hope residents of this building will find in their new home. Dr. King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King joined us at a special event last spring to unveil the new name, and now a plaque honoring the moment is featured in the lobby of our new building.
During his speech, Habitat SKKC CEO Brett D’Antonio acknowledged the difficulties that first time homeowners face in the competitive Seattle market, a challenge that Habitat helps buyers overcome: “These homes create opportunities for people to start investing in their futures now. With a median age of 40, market rate first-time homebuyers in Seattle must wait longer than ever before to enjoy the benefits of homeownership. But not the homeowners at Liberty Commons. These incredible people, including a teacher, a microbiologist, a tutor, a union organizer, and so many more, start the next chapters of their lives today.”
Habitat SKKC’s starter homes reach this demographic by offering those making less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) affordable homes with mortgages set at no more than 35% of their incomes. As with other Habitat SKKC properties, Liberty Commons will be placed in a Land Trust ensuring permanent affordability for future generations. Goolsby, citing the benefits of the Habitat model, pointed to a study conducted this year on national Habitat homeownership, “On average, Habitat homeowners accumulate $1,800 more in liquid assets than their neighbors.”
Speaking on behalf of Washington Trust Bank, an investor in this project and one of our 40th anniversary sponsors, Christin A. Malek, Community Development Officer II, offered her well wishes for the 58 new homeowners at Liberty Commons: “I hope these homes are filled with laughter, family dinners, celebrations, quiet mornings, loud kids, good neighbors, and all of the beautiful, messy, ordinary moments that make a house truly become a home.”
The event gave guests the opportunity to mingle with fellow Habitat supporters, volunteers, and staff over an ice cream bar, lawn games, and a community resource fair. They also had the chance to visit Liberty Commons to tour model units. The building’s five stories of condominiums include five studios, 26 one-bedroom units, and 27 two-bedroom units. The building also includes a 2,000 square-foot outdoor courtyard designed to give residents a space to gather as a community.
Another important feature of the building is its proximity to public transportation. Multiple speakers at the dedication highlighted this benefit, including Eddie Lin, Seattle City Council Member, District 2, who pointed out that “the second most expensive piece of a family’s budget is transportation.” Liberty Commons, Lin noted, will give residents a walkable life and help the environment at the same time.
New Habitat homeowner Martin S. closed out the program with a touching tribute to the Columbia City neighborhood he already calls home as a renter and will now find permanence in as a homeowner: “I am elated and deeply, deeply grateful to say that my daughter, Helen, and I will be homeowners at Liberty Commons. Let me take a moment to tell you why this home means so much to us. My daughter/roommate and I have lived in this neighborhood since she was only a couple of months old. Her grandmother and her mother live here. She goes to our neighborhood school, does rec classes at Rainier Community Center, and runs wild with her friends every Wednesday from May to October at the Columbia City Farmers Market. This neighborhood is part of us.”
Now, Martin, Helen, and all the new homeowners at Liberty Commons are a part of this neighborhood.
