This Bellingham site used to be a crime hotspot. Now, it’s affordable housing
The transformation of the old Aloha Motel site from crime hotspot to affordable housing is finally coming to fruition.
The Bellingham and Whatcom County Housing Authority held a virtual grand opening ceremony Wednesday, July 14, to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the redevelopment project. Dubbed Samish Commons, the property boasts 69 long-term rental units, a parking garage and new office space for the housing authority at 1000 Otis St. Residents began moving in on June 1.
“This should surely erase the bad karma of Aloha Motel,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu at the pre-recorded grand opening. “This whole corridor is booming with construction activity and new jobs.”
The city of Bellingham selected the housing authority in 2017 to redevelop the property on North Samish Way. Using a loan from the city’s low-income housing fund, the housing authority purchased the 1.5-acre parcel from the city that same year. Phase 1 of construction cost about $16 million.
The new construction consists of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom townhouses. Fourteen of the units are set aside for individuals exiting homelessness, and another 14 are set aside for households with a member who has a disability. Rent is set at rates affordable for those making between 30% and 60% of the area’s median income, said housing authority Executive Director Brien Thane.
The least expensive unit in the building is a studio, costing $426 per month including basic utilities. The most expensive unit is a three-bedroom townhouse that costs a little over $1,000 per month. Residents had moved into 51 of the 69 units by Tuesday, July 13. The housing authority is still reviewing applications for the remaining 18 units, with the hope they will all be occupied by the end of July, Thane said.
York, Sehome neighborhoods support
At the event, Thane thanked the York and Sehome neighborhoods for their support of the project and the Samish Way revitalization efforts as a whole. Mayor Seth Fleetwood echoed his sentiments.
“Samish Commons is a welcome addition to this neighborhood, adding affordable housing for low- and moderate-income individuals, families and seniors,” Fleetwood said. “The project has many features that our community values.”
Wednesday’s celebration doesn’t mark the end of development at Samish Commons — the second, and final, phase of construction will begin late this summer. By the time construction is estimated to be completed in spring 2023, the site will have an additional 53 senior housing units, 50 family housing units, 80 parking spots and 3,500 square feet of commercial space.
The housing authority is collaborating with the Northwest Center for Child Care Retention & Expansion to fill the commercial space with a daycare or preschool. This will “help with the incredible shortage of childcare and early learning institutions” in the area, Thane said. Pre-leasing of phase 2 rental units will begin in late 2022 or early 2023.
“Aloha is a greeting that means both goodbye and hello,” Thane said at the ceremony. “Today we say goodbye to what Samish Way had become and hello to a bright new future.”
Aloha Motel history
The Aloha Motel opened in 1960 along Samish Way, which was known then as a busy car-oriented strip with numerous motels, eateries and gas stations, according to earlier reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
In recent years, the Aloha’s reputation was as a place to avoid if you could help it. It was one of the few places where people with little income and bad background checks could find a place to live.
The city started the process of closing the Aloha in fall 2014 after spending nearly a year building up a case, documenting criminal activity through police reports and taking testimony from surrounding property owners.
Residents from the York and Sehome neighborhood associations pushed the city to do something about the motel because of drug use and other crimes, including the beating death of a man in one of its rooms in December 2013.
Criminal activity also bled into surrounding neighborhoods.
Nearby business owners reported regularly finding used needles and condoms on their properties, and at least 11 of the motel’s rooms, out of a total of 28, were condemned because of methamphetamine contamination.
The city of Bellingham obtained the property through condemnation proceedings in 2015.
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
