The Seattle Social Housing Developer (SSHD) board has approved a $68 million purchase of Youngstown Flats, a six-story, nearly 200-home apartment complex in West Seattle. The deal marks the agency’s second major building acquisition in five months, signaling a rapid expansion of publicly owned, mixed-income housing in the region.

The purchase of the property—which opened in 2023 with average unit sizes exceeding 800 square feet—is scheduled to officially close in mid-December.

Tenant Benefits & Immediate Protections

As part of the transition into social housing, the public developer announced several immediate affordability perks for residents living in Youngstown Flats:

• Two-Year Rent Freeze: Current lease rates will remain locked for two years.

• Free Public Transit: Every resident will receive a free, one-year ORCA transit pass.

• Fee Elimination: The agency plans to abolish "junk fees" and phase out the Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS)—which divides building-wide utility costs among tenants—within its first year of ownership.

The property features 10 ADA-compliant units, offers access to local transit routes (RapidRide C and H lines), and sits near the DragonFly Garden and Pavilion along Longfellow Creek.

Local Leaders Praise Strategic Move

Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka, who represents District 1 including West Seattle, applauded the acquisition as a vital step toward long-term housing equity.

"I am so happy to see social housing being built in my district," said Councilmember Rob Saka. "Mixed-income communities, where those at lower incomes pay less in rent than those who make more, is an effective way of addressing Seattle's housing and affordability crisis."

Tiffani McCoy, interim CEO of SSHD, highlighted the project's operational alignment: "Providing permanently affordable, family-sized housing in different parts of Seattle is what we're all about."

Background: Initiative 135 and Agency Growth

Created by Seattle voters through Initiative 135 in 2023, the SSHD operates as the nation's first public developer dedicated to constructing and acquiring permanently affordable, mixed-income housing. The agency's holdings are available to households earning up to 120% of the area median income (AMI), funded primarily through a municipal tax on high earners.

Youngstown Flats follows the SSHD's initial acquisition of Elara at the Market in Belltown earlier this year and arrives alongside its first ground-up construction project in the Central District. The agency has set a target to expand its portfolio to over 1,000 housing units by the end of 2027.