The Landing opens in west Olympia, bringing 62 units of affordable housing to families
Olympia officials joined housing providers and others Wednesday for the grand opening of The Landing, the city’s newest affordable housing project.
The Landing is located at 620 Fieldstone Drive SW, just across the street from the Family Support Center of South Sound campus. The new 62-unit building for families with children and survivors of domestic violence is managed by the Family Support Center, and its residents will have full access to the nonprofit’s programs and services.
The building has 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units spread across four floors, which will house more than 200 people. Four of the rooms are ADA compliant. Each floor has a laundry facility and a reading nook with a sensory-friendly area curated by Lacey business Sensory Tool House.
There’s a community room downstairs that connects to a back patio and playground. There’s a covered gathering area outside, bike parking and community garden spaces. There’s also a bus stop right in front of the building. And the plan is to outfit the building with solar panels.
Through the Family Support Center, residents will be able to work with onsite housing case managers. They’ll be able to help households with applications and vouchers, assist during leasing and initial move in, and more.
Natalie Skovran, the deputy director of the Family Support Center, said The Landing was about six years in the making, and this is only phase one. There are plans to build another affordable housing structure on the same site sometime in the near future.
Executive Director Trish Gregory said the Housing Authority of Thurston County has been a major partner in the development of The Landing. She said the HATC invited FSC to apply for 62 project-based housing vouchers, which will provide $25 million to the project over the next 20 years. That money will allow tenants to pay only 30% of their income for rent.
Gregory said Thurston County is responsible for about half the nonprofit’s budget, helping cover expenses for rental assistance, supportive services and case management.
Tom Webster, Thurston County’s community housing program coordinator, said the county’s financial contribution is relatively modest, but they hope that the early commitment and contribution will allow local housing providers to secure more money from the state and other resources.
“We really hope that’s an inspiration, or a real key to bringing in other resources to our community,” Webster said.
Keylee Marineau, the county’s homeless response program manager, said the need for this type of permanent affordable housing with available services is huge. She referenced the rental housing survey the county conducted. Of the 538 households that responded to the survey, 75% said they’re spending all or most of their income on rent and utilities.
Marineau said since Gov. Inslee’s Rights of Way initiative, they’ve seen a number of unhoused families move from staying in tents to staying in cars. She said in the county’s latest report, there are 289 families — nearly 800 people — that are in the Homeless Management Information System. And that’s only counting those currently in the system, she said, which only makes up a portion of families in need.
Skovran said The Landing is backed by two grants from the Department of Commerce’s Housing Trust Fund. The City of Olympia is another major financial supporter, having contributed CDBG dollars to the purchase of the property from Dr. Angela Bowen’s family estate. The city also contributed Home Fund money.
Skovran was joined at the front of the building by the Family Support Center’s board of directors for the ribbon cutting.
“For the 62 families with kids and/or survivors of domestic violence that will have the privilege to live here, we cut this ribbon and just say, welcome home,” she said.
