Multi-Service Center (MSC) and Shelter Resources Inc (SRI) held a grand opening ceremony for the recently constructed 202 units and refurbished 134 units that make up Redondo Heights Apartments on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

The new apartments, 27606 Pacific Highway S., in Federal Way, have easy access to the Redondo Park and Ride, a rapid ride line and soon, a light rail station.

These 334 quality affordable housing units are part of an effort to fill a gap in a housing affordability crisis in King County and across the nation.

In a report from the Washington State Department of Commerce released in January of this year, they found that 50% of Washington residents are rent-burdened, meaning they spend at least 30% of their income on rent.

Many local leaders attended the Grand Opening Ceremony including King County Executive Dow Constantine, Pete von Reichbauer, Representative Jamila Taylor of the WA State Legislature and several local mayors.

“The reality is, housing is becoming further out of reach for a lot of people, especially families, families who are struggling to make ends meet. As costs go up, Redondo Heights will change lives. It shows us the results we can achieve when we work together, when we get governments aligned with public funders, with private businesses, and we partner to create housing that meets a range of needs, so that we can truly invest in community and make sure that everyone has a place and everyone can participate in the life of the larger region,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said at the grand opening.

Affordable housing can mean a lot of different things, for Redondo Heights the goal is to provide “workforce” housing. Housing costs have increased such that those with what were once considered good jobs can still struggle to afford a place to live.

Housing affordability is calculated through percentage of Annual Median Income (AMI), which is released annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. For the region that Federal Way is in, the AMI for 2024 is $105,500 per year for a single adult.

Due to this median income and the cost of living, an income of $77,700 per year for a single adult is considered low income while an income of $52,700 a year is considered very low income.

If this number seems high, remember that the average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in Federal Way is $1,576 a month, so a worker with one full time job would need to be paid $30.31 an hour or $63,040 a year to not be considered rent burdened.

Leaders in Washington are working to make sure housing is affordable and available. “Since 1986 the Washington Department of Commerce has invested more than $2 billion and also preserve more than 58,000 units of affordable housing statewide. This project came to us back in 2021 and we’ve been really proud to support it throughout the different stages that have come through,” said Chris Lovings of the Department of Commerce.

Many of those struggling are not single indivuals but families as well. Under the newest HUD guidelines, a total income of $110,950 is considered low income by HUD for a household of 4 or under $75,350 a year considered very low income.

Redondo Heights is considered workforce housing because even many skilled jobs in the area do not pay enough to comfortably afford to pay for housing or who have other factors that cause housing to be out of reach despite having income of some kind.

Mayor Ferrell used the previous night’s windy and rainy weather as a metaphor to discuss the need for housing like Redondo Heights.

“How many people woke up last night? About three o’clock in the morning?” Ferrell asked, referencing the disturbances caused by high winds. “It’s a good metaphor for why we’re here today. Because storms happen. They happen unexpectedly. They happen in our lives. They happen in our communities. Maybe someone who loses a job, loses a very close loved one, has a medical emergency, has a bankruptcy, has something that goes sideways, something that they did not expect. A storm in their life. This is one of the facilities in our community that will help people brave that storm and provide the sort of dignity that we all expect and desire in our lives.”

Multi Service Center CEO Kirsten York acknowledged the many partners the housing development took to make real.

“Thank you to the visionaries and have taken many, many years of their life and careers to do this work. This is a partnership success, right? We’re standing in it. We’re standing in public, private, local partnerships of work together to create community and create space for folks and our families and individuals who need affordable housing,” York said.

Local Washington State 30th District Representative Jamila Taylor spoke to the larger goal of projects like Redondo Heights to be an investment in the strengthening of the region as a whole.

“We hear the term ‘community’ a lot. But what does it mean? Is it a place? Is it a group of people? Is it a feeling? It’s all of those things. It’s a place where you can belong. It’s a group of people who support and who will uplift you. It’s a feeling of safety and security,” Taylor said. “Today we are celebrating the opening of the community here at Redondo Heights – a place residents can settle in. A neighborhood of diverse backgrounds and experiences, interwoven to create a tapestry of differences and common bonds. A feeling of home. This wouldn’t be possible without organizations like the Multi-Service Center, which is firmly rooted in meeting the moment in these uncertain times.”

In addition to providing housing, a food bank will also be available at Redondo Heights.

“When I heard that they were going to have another food bank here, I’m just so relieved, and I’m so glad to hear that, because there’s a lot of food insecurity in South King County and in this community,” Ferrell said.

The food bank is set up to look more like a grocery store and includes a cafe area that will provide space for guests to wait comfortably for their time to access the food bank rather than the usual long lines, sometimes outside that usually accompany a visit to a food bank.

Project funders include: Amazon; Enterprise Housing Credit Investments & Enterprise Community Asset Management & Fannie Mae Equity; JLL Real Estate Capital, LLC & Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation; JPMorgan Chase Bank; King County & Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) & King County Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Fund; US Bank Trust Company, National Association; Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Finance Unit; Washington State Housing Finance Commission; and Washington State Capital Budget Appropriation.

Photo courtesy of Ben Miller at the City of Federal Way Local leaders helped cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of Redondo Heights.

Representative Jamila Taylor spoke at the Grand Opening of Redondo Heights. She helped secure some of the funds for its construction. Photo courtesy of Ben Miller at the City of Federal Way.

Amanda Santo, COO of the Multi Service Center and Federal Way City Councilmember Linda Kochmar connect at the Grand Opening. Photo courtesy of Ben Miller at the City of Federal Way.

King County Executive Dow Constantine spoke at the Grand Opening of Redondo Heights. Photo courtesy of Ben Miller at the City of Federal Way.