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An eight-home cottage housing community is expected to appear in the heart of Lynnwood by the end of next year.
Habitat for Humanity of Snohomish County announced its newest affordable homeownership project during an event Thursday, March 26, at the Lynnwood Neighborhood Center.
Willow Path Cottages “will provide families with stable, affordable homes close to schools, businesses, transit, grocery stores and essential services,” according to a flyer at the event.
The housing community will be built on a piece of land east of the QFC store located at 7500 196th St. S.W.
Cottage housing typically involves modest-sized homes clustered around a shared green space. The Willow Path community will have four single-family, three-bedroom units and four duplex, two-bedroom units.
David Burnett with Vancouver-based Access Architecture said at the March 26 event that Willow Path will have a central lawn area surrounded with raised planters that can be used for community vegetable gardens.
The Willow Path community will also have a concrete walking path to provide access to the residences and serve as a loop path for children who may want to ride their bikes, Burnett said.
Homeowners will be able to pick the color of their door so they can put a stamp on it and make it their own, Burnett said.
Willow Path will provide starter homes for eight working families in Snohomish County, along with affordable mortgage payments, financial education and preparation, and long-term affordability protections.
Construction is expected to begin sometime late summer and finish by December 2027.
Habitat Snohomish Executive Director Steven Li said at the event that the median home price in Snohomish County ($750,000) is equivalent to a monthly mortgage of over $5,000.
“Home ownership is increasingly out of reach for many working families, and with the increased cost of almost everything, this is leading to housing instability, displacement and forcing households to make impossible choices between basic needs,” Li said.
Habitat Snohomish is focused on attainable home ownership because it provides families with long-term stability and sustainability by helping them move from just surviving to thriving, Li said.
“Attainable home ownership creates a pathway to economic mobility, allowing families to build equity and long-term financial security,” Li said. “It also strengthens communities, increases housing stability, supports local investment and helps address longstanding housing inequities.”
Li said the cost of land, materials and labor have continued to rise. Land use, development and permitting requirements have also become complex, he said, making it harder to build homes that can be sold affordably.
“We’ve been exploring different ways to build creatively and more efficiently to produce more homes and serve more households,” Li said. “With this upcoming project, we’ll be utilizing several new approaches to increase affordability and scale our impact.”
Li said middle housing is “a key strategy” to create more attainable home ownership opportunities. Cottage housing allows for the creation of more homes while simultaneously building community, he said.
“These homes will stay affordable not just for the first buyer but for future homeowners as well,” Li said.
Habitat Snohomish Development Director Pratima Stanton said the cost of the homes is subsidized through donations and sponsorships so they remain attainable for first-time homebuyers. “With the current lack of true starter homes on the market, we believe this project is addressing a significant and urgent gap in our community,” Stanton said.
Organizations that are interested in becoming a sponsor for the creation of Willow Path can contact [email protected]. The community investment campaign goal is set at $500,000.
Since 1991, Habitat Snohomish has partnered with families to build more than 20 homes. It celebrated its 35-year anniversary this year.
Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Group. Contact her at [email protected].
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