Skagit County wants to rebuild the Mount Vernon Senior Center site as senior apartments, and it now has a partner. The Housing Authority of Skagit County's board talked through a joint project with the county on Tuesday, a week after signing a memorandum of understanding, the Skagit Valley Herald reported.
The plan for the county-owned site at 1401 Cleveland Ave. in Mount Vernon, Washington, starts with a $4 million construction request to the Legislature. The county would lead the ask, and the paperwork was due Friday, County Commissioner Jill Boudreau told the housing authority board.
What could be built
The early concept work, done by an architecture firm hired by the county, shows about 42 senior apartments in three-story buildings, or 63 if the buildings go to four stories. Most units would be one-bedroom, with a few two-bedrooms. Resident parking would go underneath, and one drawing sets aside about 1,700 square feet for a clubhouse or public senior services. The housing authority asked for a trash room, a shop and storage space.
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The numbers are big. The early estimate is a $43.1 million construction budget, a 20-month build and a start in mid-2028. A fourth floor would add an estimated $11.6 million. The apartments would serve seniors earning up to 80% of the area median income.
"It's definitely a scary number," Boudreau said of the price tag, but she called the county and housing authority team "a pretty unprecedented partnership." She stressed that the drawings are early concepts and that no decisions have been made. After the discussion, the housing authority commissioners said they were comfortable moving forward with the county.
A building that needs replacing
The current center was built in 1937 as a school, and county leaders have said for more than a year that it has outlived its use, according to Cascadia Daily News. A county consultant earlier named the property a top spot for affordable housing, with room for an estimated 40–60 units in a mixed-use building.
This year the state gave the county $1.5 million to study a combined senior center and housing project, Cascadia Daily News reported in April. Not everyone likes the idea. Senior center board president Gerry Douglas told the paper that combining senior services and housing is "very undesirable," pointing to parking and to projects elsewhere that did not fit seniors' needs. Mount Vernon Mayor Peter Donovan has said adding housing opens up state and federal money that a stand-alone senior center would not get.
What's next
The county's capital request goes to the governor's office ahead of the next legislative session. If lawmakers fund it, design and permitting would follow, with the current timeline pointing to construction in 2028.
Sources
- Housing Authority of Skagit County discusses partnership with county for senior center project, Skagit Valley Herald
- Nonprofit pledges to carry on senior nutrition program after Skagit County's July 1 exit, Cascadia Daily News
- Busy Mount Vernon senior center has outlived its usefulness, users and county agree, Cascadia Daily News
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