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Council adopts ARCH work program, housing trust fund awards; consent agenda also passes
Summary
The City Council voted 6‑0 to adopt the ARCH (A Regional Coalition for Housing) 2025 administrative budget and work program, approve recommended 2024 ARCH housing trust fund awards and authorize city participation in two projects. The council also approved the consent agenda earlier in the meeting.
The City Council on Feb. 11 approved a resolution that adopts ARCH’s 2025 administrative budget and work program, endorses ARCH’s recommended 2024 housing trust fund awards and authorizes the city to execute documents for ARCH‑funded projects. The resolution passed by roll call vote 6‑0.
City Manager (presenting the ARCH briefing) summarized ARCH’s strategic plan work and said the organization’s current emphasis is “to build more affordable housing faster.” The city manager noted that ARCH received 10 project applications requesting about $11.7 million and recommended funding for three projects totaling roughly $4.9 million in ARCH awards; those awards are intended for implementations that can utilize the funds within 12 months. The three projects highlighted in the recommendation were a senior housing project in Kenmore (TWG Lares/Imagine Housing), a conversion project in Bellevue by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI/Aventine), and a group home for adults with developmental disabilities in Issaquah (Life Enrichment Options/Emily House). The briefing noted ARCH’s practice of allocating public funds where projects are shovel‑ready so funds can be deployed quickly.
Council discussion was broadly supportive; Councilmember Zontas praised ARCH’s allocation strategy and the preservation of small group‑home settings for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Councilmember Dodd urged ARCH to align funding targets with jurisdictional housing targets by income band.
Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (motion by Councilmember Dodd; seconded by Deputy Mayor Alcabara) — Passed by roll call, 6‑0. - ARCH resolution adopting the 2025 ARCH Administrative Budget and Work Program, approving ARCH’s 2024 housing trust fund recommendations, and authorizing contract execution (motion by Councilmember Kurd; seconded by Councilmember Alderks) — Passed by roll call, 6‑0. The council authorized payment of $173,748 from the city’s general fund for ARCH administration, approved an ARCH award package to three projects and authorized approximately $1,240,700 from the city housing trust fund account for those projects (amounts taken from staff memo).
Ending: City staff said they will continue to monitor ARCH outcomes and report back to council; several councilmembers encouraged ARCH to consider targets and communications that better align regional investments with individual city housing needs.
