Everyone dreams of having a place to call home.  More than just a shelter from the elements, a place that one can feel safe and secure, to be comfortable, to relax and to dream in.   The cottage design is a traditional almost iconic form with a sheltering gable roof and room-sized front porch which is representative of houses throughout the region and is immediately recognized as a home.  The extra height in the living room gives the feeling of light and grandness even to a small space.  It also allows for a loft that offers a variety of uses. 

 

One of the more powerful aspects of this project is not just creating a home for an individual, but that 22 of these homes will be part of a unique community at Sand Point in Magnuson Park.  They will make up what is called a “pocket neighborhood”, small homes clustered around common open space.  The design of this cottage development is all about fostering a sense of community among the neighbors who live there. All of the residents will be transitioning from homelessness to living in community. Walking from the common areas to the individual homes, the residents will have opportunities of chance informal interaction between neighbors. The common areas are all interconnected by walkways lined with plantings.

 

While the overall design intent is to create a strong sense of community, care has been taken to maintain individual privacy. The cottages will "nest" with one another, meaning there is an open side with more windows and entry porch and a closed side that has a high window for light, but too high to see into.  Each cottage has a front porch and a side yard. Since the cottages 'nest' the renter of one cottage will be able to use the entire side yard up to the neighboring cottage. Providing room sized porches allows individuals to be outdoors and apart of the community while maintaining a sense of security and comfort to be in their own space. There is a procession of space going from the public courtyards and walks, up the private walkways to the semi-private porches to the privacy of the home.

 

Within this community there are a variety of outdoor spaces including the use of the middle of the underground stormwater tank as a playground and community garden. A Commons Building will be near the entrance and will be a place for large gatherings of the neighbors. The Commons Building as well as all of the cottages have a covered outdoor porch/area enabling residents to be outdoors even in our rain. This protected outdoor area will enhance year-round community engagement as well as having the Commons Building for indoor community interaction. Having Magnuson Park as the larger "backyard" is a unique opportunity that provides close access to a variety of outdoor experiences.

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Project Details from May 2023 Press Release

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) is pleased to announce the completion of Sand Point Cottages located at 6343 NE 65th St. in Magnuson Park. A certificate of occupancy was issued by the city last week. A community open house is being planned. This 22-cottage development will serve families with children, seniors, veterans and people living with disabilities. LIHI is the owner/developer, the architect is Karen DeLucas Architecture and the contractor is Buchanan General Contracting.

 

Six of the cottages were built in modules off-site by students in construction trade pre-apprenticeship programs, including the Seattle Skills Center at Ingraham High School, Rogers High School, Tulalip TERO Pre-apprenticeship Program, Marysville Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) Program, and the Seattle Sand Point Summer Construction Training Program run by LIHI. The plan originally called for students to build all the cottages, but this had to be curtailed due to pandemic restrictions.

 

Each cottage features one-bedroom, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, a loft and a front porch. The Community House features community gathering space, community kitchen, computer lab, property management office, bathroom, laundry room and a spacious porch area. Extensive landscaping, gardens, pathways and parking complete the design.

 

Sharon Lee, LIHI Executive Director said, "Sand Point Cottage Community is an innovative program to provide attractive cottages in a beautiful park setting. We are thrilled that the State Housing Trust Fund and other funders are supporting permanent affordable housing in Magnuson Park for families, couples and singles who are exiting homelessness. We appreciate the City of Seattle providing a long-term land lease to make this cottage housing possible.”

 

Seattle City Council Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda said, “This innovative project is the result of strong partnership with our State partners, LIHI, construction trades pre-apprenticeship programs, and the City of Seattle to provide over 36 new neighbors with a warm, affordable place to call home. Through a long-term lease on the land to LIHI at a deep discount of $1 a year, this City-owned property will help provide critically needed low-income housing in the community, with a community garden and outdoor space, and common spaces to gather.”

 

LIHI Board Vice President Melinda Nichols said, “Sand Point Cottages will demonstrate the value of a village setting and the viability of a green, low impact, nontraditional housing option. LIHI has developed over 700 tiny houses as micro shelters, and building individual cottages with bathrooms and kitchens is a logical next step. We thank the many funders and donors for the vision to make this cottage community a reality.”

 

The Community House was donated by the Lucky 7 Foundation. Extensive infrastructure work was required on this 84,500 SF site. The cottages average 520 SF. The construction contract was $5,167,000. Funding sources include the Washington State Housing Trust Fund, KeyBank, Enterprise, NeighborWorks America, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, Community Housing Capital, Lucky 7 Foundation, and other donors.

 

The nonprofit Low Income Housing Institute was founded in 1991 and owns 75 properties with over 3,200 affordable apartments. In addition, LIHI operates 18 tiny house villages in Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Skyway, Tukwila and Bellingham as a crisis response to homelessness. For more info: www.LIHI.org

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