Evergreen Court, DASH & Shelter Resources, Inc. Assisted Senior Housing, Bellevue
  


Beaux Arts Village - Bellevue - Bothell - Clyde Hill - Hunts Point - Issaquah - Kenmore - King County
Kirkland  - Medina - Mercer Island -  Newcastle - Redmond - Sammamish - Woodinville - Yarrow Point
ARCH
Mission
 How ARCH
Assists its Members		 Creation 
of ARCH
 ARCH Organizational Structure ARCH 
Housing Trust Fund

About ARCH   

“One thing that excites me about ARCH is that it’s a great example of a successful partnership between the cities and King County to address a common issue and find successful solutions. “   
Former Bellevue Mayor Connie Marshall 


ARCH Mission

Eastside governments working together to create housing opportunities.

The ARCH Mission is to preserve and increase the supply of housing for low and moderate income households in Eastside King County by:
bullet Coordinating public resources in a way that will attract greater private and not-for-profit investment into affordable housing;
bullet Pooling technical resources between jurisdictions to assist in the development and implementation of housing policies and programs;
bullet Providing expert assistance to local organization interested in becoming active in affordable housing provision;
bullet Providing on-going community involvement, information, and leadership directed towards housing needs, and;
bullet Providing information to the community on local housing issues.

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"These days it takes creativity and flexibility to make difficult affordable housing projects come to fruition.  ARCH is an invaluable resource to its member jurisdictions and housing developers in structuring partnerships that work and enabling local jurisdictions to leverage their limited resources."  Mark Thometz, Former DASH Executive Director

ARCH assists its members to:

Directly assist below-market rate housing

 
bullet Award loans and grants to developments that provide below-market rate housing.  Since 1993, the ARCH Housing Trust Fund has funded over 1,800 units of Eastside housing for families, seniors, and persons with special needs.  See Housing Trust Fund section of the ARCH web-site for a complete list of ARCH Trust Fund Projects.
bullet Make surplus public land available for housing
bullet Waive impact and permit fees.
Habitat's Newcastle project received $190,000 of ARCH funding, including over $28,000 in waived permit fees granted by the City of Newcastle.
Develop housing policies and regulations
 
bullet Develop policies and strategies in Land Use and Housing Elements of Comprehensive Plans
bullet Create neighborhood plans such as Overlake in Redmond and North Rose Hill in Kirkland
bullet Develop regulations to permit accessory dwelling units (mother-in-law apartments) and senior housing
bullet Provide density bonuses for developments that include below-market rate housing
Many ARCH cities have adopted regulations to allow Accessory Dwelling Units. 
Implement and administer housing programs
bullet Prepare and monitor contracts for funded projects so affordability is maintained and, if applicable, loan payments are made
bullet Negotiate provisions for below-market rate housing in market rate developments
bullet Assist people looking for below-market ownership and rental housing.  See Rental Program and Ownership Program sections of the ARCH web site for more information.
bullet Oversee resales of below-market ownership homes
bullet Track local housing production annually
Satomi in Bellevue includes four townhome units affordable to households earning 90% of area median income.
Engage the broader community on local housing issues
 
bullet Participate in discussions about housing at meetings and public forums
bullet Generate educational information for the public including brochures (ARCH programs, housing opportunities and accessory dwelling units), the ARCH web site, ARCH housing tours and other outreach programs. 
bullet Make community awards to publicly recognize individuals, projects and programs that result in outstanding housing efforts.  See the Awards & Recognition section of the ARCH web site for more information.

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ARCH's Community Housing Recognition Awards recognize programs, people and projects that make a positive contribution to housing in our community.

"ARCH, which is a voluntary organization, began with just three cities and King County, and has now grown to include 15 cities and the County.  Each member recognizes the value in forming a coalition, pooling financial resources, and coordinating planning efforts to provide affordable housing."  Redmond Mayor, Rosemarie M. Ives
Creation of ARCH
ARCH was conceived from a study undertaken in the early 1990's by the 'Citizens Affordable Housing Task Force' in Bellevue.  Their work confirmed that:
bullet There is a growing need for affordable housing in Eastside King County;
bullet There are many gaps in the current delivery system;
bullet Local government support is critical to increase the affordable housing supply;
bullet Increased local government support compliments the efforts of private sector housing developers; and
bullet Local governments that work together can be more effective.  

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ARCH Organizational Structure


A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) was created in 1992 through an interlocal agreement of several suburban governments in Eastside King County.  ARCH helps establish a teamwork approach to solving local housing issues.
bullet

Cities continue to take action individually, but through ARCH, their actions can be coordinated with the actions of other ARCH members.  Using ARCH, cities build upon the experiences of other members as they develop their own regulations.
bullet

Funding awards are made through the ARCH Housing Trust Fund process so that city contributions can be coordinated among members.
bullet

On shared objectives, such as outreach on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), cities can work collectively through ARCH.

  ARCH Organizational Chart

City Council

The groups that make-up ARCH-- City Councils, Executive Board, Citizen Advisory Board, and Staff-- are described below.

Councils 

Member Councils play a key role in ARCH's overall efforts. 
bullet Councils initially adopt the ARCH interlocal agreement and any amendments.
bullet Councils review and take action on land use issues that affect affordable housing from recommendations by their Planning Commissions.
bullet Councils review and take action on ARCH work programs and administrative budgets.
bullet Councils review and take action on the use of local resources for projects recommended through the housing trust fund process and for specific projects.

Following is a list of links to our members' web-site homepages:

Beaux Arts Village Medina

Link to map of ARCH Sphere of Influence
Bellevue Mercer Island
Bothell Newcastle
Clyde Hill Redmond
Hunts Point Sammamish
Issaquah Woodinville
Kenmore Yarrow Point
Kirkland King County
ARCH is comprised of 15 Eastside cities & King County.

"ARCH has helped our city immensely, first of all in helping us to establish policies and then following through with real projects."
Redmond Mayor and ARCH Executive Board Member, Rosemarie M. Ives 

Executive Board 

Consists of member executive level staff (City Manager or Elected Mayor).  The Executive Board supervises the Citizen Advisory Board and ARCH staff in the day-to-day administration of the work program and budget, and forwards housing trust fund recommendations to members for approval.  

"The Citizen Advisory Board brings together broad expertise to review and make recommendations on ARCH Housing Trust Fund projects.  This allows projects to be thoroughly evaluated so that local resources are used most efficiently."   Scott Greenberg, Former ARCH CAB Chair
Citizen Advisory Board 
The ARCH Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) consists of twelve to fifteen community residents and housing professionals that work with ARCH staff to develop recommendations for the Housing Trust Fund and work program activities.  The CAB forwards these recommendations to the Executive Board for approval.  The CAB also helps coordinate various outreach efforts including the ARCH Community Housing Awards. Citizen Advisory Board members contribute an understanding of community affordable housing issues, as well as certain specialized perspectives including planning, finance, real estate, housing development, assisting low income households and persons with special needs, faith community, racial diversity, architecture and residents of affordable housing.  The CAB also strives to be representative of the Eastside communities that make up ARCH. Eastside residents interested in serving on the ARCH Citizen Advisory Board should contact ARCH for more details.  Email: ARCH

 
Staff 
Consists of a combination of staff hired by ARCH and staff loaned by the City of Bellevue.  ARCH staff, in concert with member staff, work directly with the Citizen Advisory Board, housing developers, and the public, in the implementation of the annual work program.  
Contact ARCH Staff

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ARCH Housing Trust Fund 
  ARCH Trust Fund Projects
The ARCH Housing Trust Fund is the primary means by which ARCH members assist in creating and preserving housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income households.  The Housing Trust Fund awards loans and grants to Eastside developments that include below-market rate housing.  Between 1993 and 2002, ARCH member jurisdictions committed over $20+ million to this fund, including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and General Funds.  Also included in this amount is over $2 million in contributions of land, fee-waivers and other in-kind donations.  Key program features:
 
bullet Funding is made available as loans or grants depending on affordability levels and other funding sources.
bullet Projects receiving local funds sign covenants ensuring affordability levels are maintained long term.
bullet Types of projects include: rental and ownership housing for lower income families; senior housing; homeless and transitional housing; and housing for persons with special needs.
bullet See ARCH web site Housing Trust Fund page for a complete list of projects funded, and ARCH Sample Portfolio page for pictures and descriptions of funded projects.

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Evergreen Court Senior housing in Bellevue is one of 4 ARCH Trust Fund categories, including: rental and ownership housing for lower income families; senior housing; homeless and transitional housing and housing for persons with special needs.




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ARCH - A Regional Coalition for Housing
Family Resource Center Campus
16225 NE 87th Street, Suite A-3
Redmond, Washington 98052
Phone: (425) 861-3676 Fax: (425) 861-4553 Email: ARCH

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Updated: November 20, 2007