OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Commerce on Tuesday, January 20, announced $54.5 million in grants to help create nearly 5,000 affordable housing units across Washington. From Vancouver to Spokane, grants of up to $1 million have been awarded to support 70 projects in 22 counties to support the creation of 4,517 affordable housing units.
A total of eight projects in the cities of Everett, Lynnwood, and Marysville were awarded $7,178,160 in CHIP grants:
- City of Everett: Smith Avenue TOD, $737,425
- City of Marysville: HASCO Apartments, $1,000,000
- City of Everett: EHA Ben Young, 91 units, $1,000,000
- City of Lynnwood: 200th Street – Senior Housing, $1,000,000
- City of Everett: Housing Hope EUCC Project, $1,000,000
- City of Everett: DevCo Rucker Ave. Project, $1,000,000
- City of Lynnwood: Apollo Scriber Lake, 173 units, $900,000
- City of Everett: Helping Hands, $540,735
The awards represent the latest round of the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program, referred to as CHIP. Established in 2021, the competitive program pays for waterworks infrastructure — such as extending or upsizing water and sewer pipes and new or upgraded stormwater management — and reimburses public utilities for connection fees that were waived to bring these needed water utilities to the project.
Since taking office last year, Governor Bob Ferguson has made addressing the state’s housing crisis a top priority. Ferguson recently announced a historic investment in affordable housing.
“We urgently need more affordable housing all across Washington,” Gov. Ferguson said. “My administration is taking action to address our affordable housing crisis.”
“These awards represent a smart, coordinated investment in housing and infrastructure,” said Interim Commerce Director Sarah Clifthorne. “By connecting infrastructure funding directly to housing development, we’re reducing upfront costs, accelerating construction timelines, and enabling jurisdictions across Washington to support the development of more affordable housing for the people who need it most.”
The state projects needing more than a million new homes by 2044 to keep pace with anticipated population growth. CHIP helps to increase housing supply by offsetting costs that could otherwise stall affordable housing development. Projects receiving CHIP funds must include at least 25% of new units as affordable for low-income households, or those earning less than 80% of area median income.
This round of CHIP funding also included a pilot program to support projects in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. Approximately $5 million will support moderate-income housing projects for those earning greater than 80% of area median income and up to 100% of state median income in Wenatchee, Chelan and Winthrop.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
