ARCH Mission

ARCH’s mission is to preserve and increase housing for low and moderate income households in East King County by:

  • Coordinating public resources and attracting greater private investment into affordable housing;

  • Sharing technical resources and staff between jurisdictions to create a sound base of housing policies and programs;

  • Effectively stewarding affordable housing created through local policies and investment;

  • Providing one clear point of contact for affordable housing development;

  • Directly engaging the community with information and expertise; and

  • Advancing policies that will help create more affordable housing faster.

“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 Strategic Plan

The ARCH Strategic Plan is a long-term framework intended to align and guide ARCH and its membership in advancing key strategies aimed at building more affordable housing faster. The plan was adopted in 2024 following a strategic planning process conducted by the ARCH Executive Board.

Strategic Plan Dashboard - Jan 2025

ARCH Work Program

ARCH carries out its mission through an annual Work Program that is adopted by member Councils each year, covering the following program areas.

  • Affordable Housing Investment

  • Housing Policy and Planning

  • Housing Program Implementation

  • Outreach and Engagement

  • Administrative Procedures

Affordable Housing Investment

  • Award loans and grants to developments that provide below-market rate housing, and make other local contributions to housing such as land and fee waivers (For more information, see ARCH Housing Trust Fund)

  • Establish goals for member investments in affordable housing.

  • Coordinate local resources with other public and private funds

  • Prepare and monitor contracts so affordability is maintained and, if applicable, loan payments are made

  • Support special projects of high priority to ARCH members, including transit-oriented development sites, and construction of emergency shelters.

Housing Policy and Planning

  • Assist in development of local plans, policies, strategies and regulations, including:

    • Housing Elements

    • Housing Strategies

    • Regulations to permit diverse housing types

    • Design of density bonuses and other land use and tax incentives for developments that include below-market rate housing

  • Coordinate inter-jurisdictional planning between ARCH members

  • Identify and advance shared legislative priorities

  • Represent East King County communities in regional and countywide planning efforts

Housing Program Implementation

  • Administer city incentive and inclusionary programs, working with developers to ensure the creation of below-market rate housing in market rate developments

  • Monitor property compliance with ongoing rent and income restrictions, and provide technical assistance to property managers working with the ARCH Rental Program

  • Steward long-term affordability of below market ownership homes in the ARCH Homeownership Program

  • Collect data and evaluate housing program performance

Outreach and Engagement

  • Market available housing to the community

  • Engage the broader community on local housing issues

  • Generate educational information for the public through publications, the ARCH website, ARCH housing tours and other outreach events

  • Make community awards to publicly recognize individuals, projects and programs that result in outstanding housing efforts

Administrative Procedures

  • Staff the ARCH Executive Board and ARCH Community Advisory Board.