SEATTLE — The Arches Apartments on Rainier Avenue South have been affordable housing for years. The owner recently died, and the apartment building went up for sale.
Theresa Morris lives in the affordable housing complex across the street called The Brighton.
“It’s everything, they really try and watch the rent for us," said Morris. She is currently packing to move upstairs and into a bigger apartment.
“I’ve seen displacement play out my whole life,” said Curtis Brown, the Executive Director of the Brighton.
He saw the affordable housing complex across the street go up for sale and decided it had to be saved.
“People shouldn’t have to move because they can’t afford property that they’ve lived in for 20 years,” said Brown. Home prices have gone up in the Rainier Valley as locals are getting displaced.
Competing against multiple offers, Brown got a loan and began crowdsourcing money.
“Little did I know that the community would raise $400,000 in the first month and Amazon would come in and give us $2 million the following month.”
Commercial Relator Pearl Nelson and his partner donated around $60,000.
“We all reside in this community together. We coexist together and the flavor is greater here,” said Nelson.
Their goal is to keep the neighborhood thriving.
“The neighborhood is no longer low-income, but the goal is to keep people here,” said Nelson.
Brown said his next project is rent to buy condos.
“So the way to make sure you don’t leave the community is you have to own it.”
Brown said as part of Amazon’s covenant, this complex will stay affordable for at least 99 years, in some cases rent will be lowered and it won’t go up more than 3-percent a year.
They plan to continue buying property for affordable housing or rent to buy options for the community. “The city’s not going to do it. It’s got to be us,” said Brown.
“Everybody can’t do what I’m doing right now to go and move into a better place. People are actually leaving their place and don’t have anywhere to go. I just feel blessed,” said Morris.