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Kenmore approves sale of 7010 NE 180th to Imagine Housing for mixed affordable development
Summary
The Kenmore City Council unanimously approved a resolution declaring 7010 NE 180th Street surplus and a purchase-and-sale agreement with Imagine Housing and Habitat for Humanity to develop mixed affordable rental and ownership units; the deal sets affordability covenants and a target timeline tied to permitting and financing.
The Kenmore City Council on Monday approved two motions that clear the way for a mixed affordable housing project at 7010 Northeast 180th Street, a city-owned lot near City Hall.
Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Debbie Bent called the item “an exciting potential milestone for a decision for the city this evening,” and the council voted unanimously to declare the parcel surplus and to authorize a purchase-and-sale agreement with Imagine Housing and project partners. The roll call recorded six yes votes: Council members Sassen, Marshall, Shrebnick, Lutzis, Deputy Mayor O’Kane and Mayor Nigel Herbig.
The sale price set in the agreement is $1,500,000. The city purchased the property in February 2022 for $3,200,000 using the general fund and the Strategic Opportunities Fund; the transaction will return part of the city’s earlier outlay to those funds. The purchase-and-sale agreement includes affordability covenants, a required minimum mix of rental and ownership units, and a commercial or community-serving ground-floor space, with an emphasis on larger units (two- and three-bedroom layouts) that the packet says are scarce in the affordable stock.
City staff and Imagine Housing representatives told the council the development will provide a mix of rental and ownership opportunities. Imagine Housing said the rental units are intended for households roughly in the 50–60% area median income (AMI) band, while the Habitat for Humanity homeownership units would be targeted at higher AMI limits (around 80% AMI) consistent with home-purchase underwriting. During the presentation, staff described the project as including studios through three-bedroom units and noted a “good-faith” effort to lease the ground-floor space to a nonprofit partner.
The agreement sets target schedule milestones tied to permitting and financing: permit application materials are expected to be submitted in 2027, with construction financing closing and permits secured in 2028. The contract contains a feasibility contingency and standard default remedies; it also includes a buyback provision allowing the city to reacquire the site if construction has not commenced by Dec. 31, 2028, should the council choose to exercise that option.
Council members thanked staff and the Imagine/Habitat teams for community engagement during the proposal and permitting process. Staff described multiple community outreach events and an online FAQ maintained by the city and the developer. No amendments to the purchase-and-sale agreement were proposed during Monday’s meeting.
What happens next: approval of the purchase-and-sale agreement authorizes staff to finalize the transaction consistent with the terms in the packet. The timeline to occupancy remains contingent on securing construction financing and obtaining required permits.
Votes at a glance: Resolution No. 25427 (declare property surplus) — adopted unanimously, 6–0. Motion to approve the purchase-and-sale/transfer agreement with Imagine Housing — adopted unanimously, 6–0.
