Rep. Smith Statement on Groundbreaking of Mercy Angle Lake Family Housing Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sound Transit and Mercy Housing broke ground this week on the Mercy Angle Lake Family Housing project, located next to the Sound Transit Angle Lake Light Rail station in SeaTac. Sound Transit is the first in the country to use the Affordable Housing Disposition Method which extinguishes federal interest in properties transferred to nonprofits and community-based organizations for affordable housing. The Affordable Housing Disposition Method was made possible by the Promoting Affordable Housing Near Transit Act that Rep. Smith helped pass by including it in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

"We have a severe lack of affordable housing in Washington. That's why this groundbreaking is such a big deal.The Mercy Angle Lake Family Housing project - in collaboration with the Arc Legacy Center project - will bring new units of transit-friendly affordable housing to our region and simultaneously support people in our region with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, one of the groups most in need of affordable housing," said Rep. Adam Smith."We need to build more housing to make housing more affordable, and this project is a great example of how to make that happen. I was thrilled to get the Promoting Affordable Housing Near Transit Act signed into law and it is great to see this legislation begin to make a positive impact in our region. I applaud all the partners in our state for their tireless efforts to make this project a reality. This groundbreaking is a big, historic win for affordable housing in King County."

This year, Rep. Smith submitted a Community Project Funding request of $2 million for the Arc Legacy Center for consideration in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations process and he has continued to push to get this funding across the finish line.