Redmond council approves reallocation of ARCH funds to Plymouth supportive housing after amendment
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Summary
The Redmond City Council voted to reallocate ARCH housing trust funds from a stalled Kenmore project to a Plymouth Housing supportive-housing project in Redmond, after an amendment reduced a dollar amount in the resolution from $857,400 to $611,800; the final vote was 5-2.
The Redmond City Council approved a resolution Sept. 17 to reallocate funds from a Kenmore supportive-housing project to a Plymouth Housing supportive-housing project in Redmond, after a council amendment corrected the dollar amount in the resolution.
Council President Kritzer moved to amend the resolution to replace $857,400 with $611,800, saying the higher number appeared in one document in error and the lower figure matched the amount previously committed to Kenmore and intended for the Redmond project. The amendment was adopted by voice vote and the council then approved the reallocation in a roll-call vote, 5-2.
Director Carol Helland explained the administrative process: funds earmarked for projects that do not proceed are returned to the ARCH (A Regional Coalition for Housing) housing trust fund and individual member cities must reapprove reallocations recommended by ARCH after the ARCH executive board and community advisory board review. "When projects don't move forward, the money gets put back into the ARCH housing trust fund pot," Helland said, describing the reallocation request as a standard administrative step to re-stack the funding for the Redmond site.
Council members voiced support for increasing affordable housing supply but differed over process and public engagement. Council Member Fields said she would vote no, stressing concerns about whether this is the most effective use of funds and about the level of public process: "I just can't get past both the process and whether this is the most effective and efficient use of meeting our affordability goals," she said. Council Member Anderson also announced a no vote, citing missed opportunities for public process and unclear plans for the proposed building.
Council Member Stewart and others emphasized the city's long-standing priority of affordable housing and noted prior engagement on rules for permanent supportive housing and ongoing opportunities for community input. Council President Kritzer noted the city had previously set aside $3.2 million of the city's $10 million allocation and an estimated $5.7 million for land value as part of the funding stack discussed in prior briefings.
The resolution authorizes the city's appointed administering agency for ARCH to execute documents necessary to implement the reallocation, using the city's housing trust fund. The council directed staff to continue public-engagement steps described by Plymouth Housing, including a community advisory group and future design review steps where the public will have additional opportunities to comment.
Next steps: the reallocation requires approval by other ARCH member cities to complete the funding-stack shift and Plymouth Housing will continue community engagement and design work as the project advances.
