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Kenmore Council unanimously approves $117,500 in housing trust contributions to ARCH projects, updates HomeKey-plus program

Kenmore City Council ยท February 10, 2026

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Summary

Kenmore approved three ARCH-related resolutions: a package of project awards funded up to $117,500 from the city's housing trust fund, administrative updates to the HomeKey-plus/ARCH down-payment assistance program, and authorization for Bellevue to administer certain agreements on Kenmore's behalf. All passed unanimously.

Kenmore City Council on Monday unanimously approved three resolutions that formalize the city's participation in a regional affordable-housing program and allocate up to $117,500 from Kenmore's housing trust fund to support ARCH-recommended projects.

The council approved Resolution 26-447 authorizing execution of agreements to fund a set of ARCH-recommended projects (including Alterra at East Main, Bothell Urban, Family Village Redmond, Forest Edge, Kirkland House, and Orchard Gardens) with combined Kenmore contributions capped at $117,500. The council also passed Resolution 26-445 to adopt recommended administrative revisions to the HomeKey-plus/ARCH down-payment assistance program and Resolution 26-446 authorizing the City of Bellevue to administer certain housing project agreements on Kenmore's behalf, consistent with the ARCH interlocal agreement. Each resolution passed on a unanimous roll-call vote.

"ARCH's investment programs help preserve and increase housing for low- and moderate-income households in East King County," said Debbie Bent, Kenmore's community development director, in a presentation to the council. Bent described ARCH as a regional coalition composed of 15 East King County cities plus King County and said the ARCH housing trust fund is supported by voluntary city contributions, loan repayments and a share of federal community development block grant funds.

Bent told the council that in the 2025 funding round applicants requested approximately $14.8 million to support 1,230 units while the ARCH trust fund advertised $3.5 million and, with loan repayments and additional member contributions, roughly $4.6 million became available to award. She outlined Kenmore's recommended per-project contributions in that round, which included $45,100 toward a Bothell project, $13,600 each to Alterra at East Main and Forest Edge projects, $6,800 toward Kirkland House, $19,100 toward Family Village in Redmond, and $4,400 toward a Theo/Trailhead project in Issaquah.

The HomeKey-plus/ARCH down-payment assistance program, first established in 2005 and administered through the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, provides up to $30,000 in assistance for qualified buyers in east King County. Bent said Kenmore's share of ARCH's current program funding is $62,500 of a roughly $600,000 pool and that the resolution would approve program updates and authorize execution of related agreements with no new city funding requested.

Council members asked staff about regional revenue conversations to meet rising housing demand and requested more detail on Porchlight's Kirkland scattered-site rehabilitation project. Staff said the Porchlight project would rehabilitate an existing single-family home that has housed three formerly homeless individuals, add three bedrooms and a bathroom to serve six residents, and move toward construction and occupancy in 2027. Staff also confirmed budgeted allocations for the 2025'26 biennium that include $180,000 for ARCH administrative costs and $148,644 for a housing trust fund allocation; the specific request for this funding round was reported as $117,500.

Clerk roll call on Resolution 26-447 showed votes in favor from Council members O'Kane, Marshall, Culver, Admon, Lutzes, Deputy Mayor Sassen and Mayor Herbig; the roll-call for the other two resolutions recorded the same unanimous support.

Public comment before the vote included local residents who urged attention to both specific neighborhood issues and broader housing strategy. Jack Jensen asked the council to review signal timing at the 68th/75th intersection to reduce backups and idling, and David Dorian of Kenmore urged the council to consider how funding mixes and proximity to transit affect the feasibility of different affordable-housing models.

The council adjourned after brief staff reports and routine council comments. The three ARCH-related resolutions now move to implementation steps outlined in the approved motions, including execution of necessary agreements and coordination with ARCH and the City of Bellevue for administrative actions.