LYNNWOOD—Lynnwood’s Garden Senior Village, an affordable, community-based, living option for seniors, has expanded its capacity with a brand-new wing increasing its available living units by 38, just in time for its 30th anniversary.
The new wing units have all new fixtures, AC mini splits (offering year-round heat and air conditioning), and granite countertops for the same rate.
Each unit is equipped with grab bars in the showers and has several elevators to get to the upper floors.
Many residents take advantage of the outdoor green space on-site for exercise, as well as the community garden where tenants grow vegetables that are sometimes donated to residents who are in need.
As far as location, Garden Senior Village has a Community Transit bus stop right outside, is right across the street from a grocery store, and partners with Community Transit to allow Dial-A-Ridge Transportation (DART) to get virtually anywhere else in the city.
The Lynnwood Food Bank also partners with Garden Senior Village to drop off free groceries once a month for residents.
As far as security, the senior living facility is secured behind locked doors (with key code access), and is constantly monitored by a robust security camera system.
Garden Senior Village opened in 1997, after two years of construction. The project was spearheaded by the Lynnwood Rotary who wanted to open an affordable housing option for seniors during a time when options were scarce in the City of Lynnwood.
Despite inflation and rising costs of living, Garden Senior Village has remained committed to this original vision of offering affordable living options for seniors, still offering units that fall far below the market average for other senior living options in the area.
Units begin at $1,259 for one bedroom, and $1,509 for two bedrooms with water, sewar, garbage, and gas all included (electricity is offered by the Snohomish County PUD and billed separately). Each unit comes equipped with designer interiors, refrigerator, stove, air conditioning (in the new wing), and quartz countertops. The building also has several laundry facilities, elevators, a community garden, and an outdoor terrace with seasonable BBQ access.
Another thing that sets Garden Senior Village apart from other senior living options in the area is that it allows pets without charging pet rent (a pet deposit of $350 per pet is required).
To this day there are still a few tenants at Garden Senior Village who were among the first to move in almost 30 years ago.
According to Rachel Schmidt, Community Manager at Garden Senior Village, the senior living community really does feel like that: a “community,” with regular resident events, community meetings, and even a Resident Council – a group of people with their own funds and treasurer, who plan their own events throughout the year (Halloween parties, Christmas and Thanksgiving potlucks, a Fourth of July BBQ, and more). This council consists of five residents comprising a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and an Event Coordinator.
The Resident Council frequently hosts fundraising events to collect funds for these events, in addition to collecting donations from Lynnwood residents.
“They really focus so hard to make sure everyone has fun,” said Schmidt. “My goal, as property manager, is that we do something at least once a month to support these residents and help them enjoy living here. I believe that our residents are our greatest gift.”
Garden Senior Village is three stories and has the capacity to house 158 seniors, with 38 current vacancies with the recent expansion.
What sets Garden Senior Village apart from other affordable senior living centers is it’s “history,” said Schmidt.
“The Lynnwood Rotary wanted to make history by opening this center. The group of owners, the Northwest Housing Preservation Group, this was their baby. They don’t own any other buildings. A lot of senior properties in the area are owned by people who have five, six, seven, eight buildings. Here, this is their baby, this is their focus and they always want these people to feel like they care on top of us caring,” said Schmidt.
Just an example of the level of care Schmidt gave is residents were able to remain on-site during construction of the brand new wing, through its re-piping project, without having to be displaced or removed from their homes.
To be considered to live in Garden Senior Village residents’ income per household must fall within the 2026 Income Guidelines based on the 50% median income level (AMI) for Snohomish County. Currently this quates to about $57,550 (for one person per household), $65,800 (for a two-person household), and $74,000 (for a three-person household). On average the units are about 525 square feet each.
Most other senior properties in the region are at 60-80% AMI resulting in higher rates.
The income verification process typically takes two-six weeks but once residents are approved they’re approved for life.
Garden Senior Village is an independent living option meaning there are no assisted care staff on-site, though they do partner with Homage and Family Resource Home Care if residents need some additional support.
Garden Senior Village is located at 6425 196th Street Southwest in Lynnwood, Washington.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
