Groundbreaking took place on the Mount Baker site in southeast Seattle, marking the start of a mixed‑use redevelopment that will provide roughly 400 affordable apartments, an early‑learning campus and community facilities on a 3.8‑acre parcel.

The development sits directly across from Sound Transit’s Mount Baker light‑rail station, linking residents to regional transit.

Funding for the housing component totals $170 million from state, city and private sources, while the early‑learning campus carries a separate $36 million price tag.

The housing will be delivered in two phases; the first phase includes 239 affordable rental units and is expected to house more than 1,000 people once the full redevelopment is complete.

One‑third of the homes are earmarked for families earning at or below 30 % of the area median income, and 60 % of the units will be family‑sized.

The campus will occupy about 35,000 sq ft over two floors, with an eight‑classroom early‑learning facility serving more than 120 children from infancy through preschool.

The second floor will host early‑learning organizations, professional‑development programs and the UW College of Education’s Cultivate Learning initiative, creating a training hub for educators and researchers.

Public amenities include 20,000 sq ft of open space, a 6,000‑sq‑ft community hub for events and cultural programming, and 4,000 sq ft of commercial space reserved for locally owned and BIPOC‑owned businesses.

Climate‑resilience features such as advanced storm‑water management exceed baseline environmental requirements.

The project is a product of an eight‑year partnership among the University of Washington College of Education, Seattle’s Office of Housing, the State of Washington, Mercy Housing Northwest, El Centro de la Raza and other stakeholders.

Design and construction responsibilities are split between Runberg Architecture Group (housing) and Mithun (early‑learning campus), with Walsh Construction serving as the builder for both components.

Both the first housing phase and the early‑learning campus are targeted for completion by 2029, according to the project announcement.