The Bart Harvey, formerly known as Cascade Senior Housing, celebrated its grand opening this week in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. The project was developed by Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) provides housing for low income, disabled and homeless seniors and is a new construction project which will provide 50 units of affordable housing for low income seniors, ages 62 and up, in the Cascade neighborhood. The 6-story building will feature 5 floors of studio apartments and 1-bedroom units. The project has been funded through a combination of funds from the HUD 202 program and low income tax credit equity. Seniors making up to 50% of the Area Median Income are eligible to live at The Bart Harvey and the residents will pay no more than 30% of their income in rent. 10 of the units are set aside for previously homeless seniors and another 10 units are set aside for disabled seniors.
The project’s design was guided by the energy efficiency and green building criteria set forth by Enterprise Green Communities, the first national standard in green, affordable housing. One of the project’s unique features is a green, vegetated rooftop which uses sustainable technology to cover surfaces with lightweight soil, allowing residents to plant everything from vegetable gardens to wildflowers. The architect of the project was the Runberg Architecture group and was constructed by Synergy Construction. The Bart Harvey was funded by US Department of Housing & Urban Development, Enterprise, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, KeyBank, Wells Fargo Bank, Sortun Housing Fund, and Enterprise Green Communities.
According to LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee, “We are delighted to provide affordable housing for the ever-growing senior population in the one of the most attractive, livable and walkable Seattle neighborhoods. If it were not for the Bart Harvey, low-income seniors would be priced out of South Lake Union. Additionally, as all Americans are being asked to use resources more responsibly, The Bart Harvey provides these homes by making conscientious environmental choices.”
