Permits, financing now in place for Creekside Village

Creekside Village on Vashon, an affordable workforce housing project first envisioned 10 years ago by local developer Christopher Bric, broke ground last week, with permitting and key financing at last in place.

The development — a project of the Shelter America Group, a nonprofit run by Bric affilitated with 36 other affordable housing properties — will be comprised of three two-story buildings spread out on 2.4 acres of an approximately 7-acre property located at 16815 95th Lane SW, just off Gorsuch Road.

This location, Bric has said since first announcing his plans in 2017, is ideally suited for Vashon’s workforce population, senior citizens, single adults, and families with children. The property is within walking distance of Ober Park, the Vashon Library, and the employment/shopping hub of the island.

All of Creekside’s 41 units will be leased to households earning no more than 60% of area median income, with the majority of those units set aside for households at 50% of area medium income.

Construction of the project is now expected to be complete by September of 2026, Bric said — adding that after many years of work to develop the project, he was thrilled that it was now going “full steam ahead.”

“It seems almost surreal we’re at a point we’re actually developing the property,” he said, referencing the long period of time that has passed since Shelter America first announced the project.

The recent visible clearing of the property by an island subcontrator, he said, has been exciting for him to witness: “For the first time, I can truly see the size of the site without all the overgrowth and trees [now] cleared for development.”

A number of other trees still left on the property will remain untouched, he said.

Bric said that “given today’s building environment,” the cost of the project has now risen to approximately $30 million. But he has the financing commited to proceed, he said.

The last significant hurdle to build Creekside Village was overcome last October, when Bric was informed that that project qualified under newly revised policies of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to receive tax exempt bond financing as well as 4% low-income housing tax credits issued by the agency.

“That was the final jewel in the crown to finance this thing,” he said, explaining that the opportunity to offer tax credits had attracted approximately $10 million in corporate investments to Creekside Village. The remaining $20 million for the project will be financed through a first mortage loan and subordinate loans from the Washington State Department of Commerce and King County.

Amy Drayer, excecutive director of Vashon HouseHold, a venerable local nonprofit devoted to providing affordable housing, hailed the achievement that the project was at last underway.

“Vashon HouseHold is thrilled to congratulate Shelter America on the progress at Creekside,” Drayer said. “Vashon desperately needs more housing solutions for residents at multiple levels of income, and this project will help keep the island home for so many. We understand the incredible persistence it takes to complete a project like this, and we’re inspired by their commitment to make this critical resource a reality.”

There has been some opposition to the project, largely organized by Saul Fortunoff and Weslie Rogers, a couple who own property neighboring the development site. A Facebook page created by Fortunoff, No Creekside Gorsuch, chronicled these objections over the years. On May 18, Fortunoff posted on the page that “For now, we are taking a wait and see position, but we have stopped actively working against this project.”

A letter to the county written by Fortunoff in 2024, headlined “The right (but oversized) project, in the wrong place” and pinned to the Facebook page, outlined ongoing objections to the project, including safety concerns about increased traffic and the need for a sidewalk on the road.

According to Bric, there has been “an easing of tensions, and respectful dialogue has been engaged” with Fortunoff — a characterization that Fortunoff agreed with, in a brief phone interview.

“They have listened to what I have had to say, and I’ve shared ideas — now we’ll see if they’ll do anything about these issues,” Fortunoff said.

The project’s general contractor, Bric said, was “sensitive to the disruptive nature of constructing this project” and would work with Fortunoff “to make sure he and other neighbors to the project are engaged and comfortable during the construction.”

Creekside: years in the making

In 2015, islander Mike Masi, owner of the property, and Shelter America entered into an agreement aimed at the eventual sale of the property after obtaining the required water shares and zoning needed for the development. The sale was completed in late 2023.

“It was Mike Masi who, back in 2006, first envisioned an affordable housing community on the property he then owned,” Bric said. “This was 10 years before we met, and Mike obviously stayed the course with his commitment, extending our site control numerous times until we could purchase his property in 2023.”

The specific parcel where the project is located had two special development conditions as approved by King County, through the community planning process, over 20 years ago, according to Bric.

One condition allowed for the development of 12 units per acre, and the second required the development of “mobile homes and manufactured housing.”

But in 2017, that second condition was removed by King County, also through a community process, with the stipulation that the site could be developed only for affordable housing. Before that time, either 40 mobile homes or manufactured housing units could have been placed or built on the site, with no affordability requirement.

The property — formerly a small mobile home park owned by Masi — is now emptied of its five former residents, who all received generous financial assistance in securing other housing on Vashon, Bric said.

Last year, Shelter America engaged a national company, as required under the Uniform Relocation Act, to work with local landlords and agencies to secure housing for the former residents. Additionally, Bric said, Hilary Emmer, an affordable housing advocate on Vashon, was instrumental in helping the tenants all relocate to other island housing.

According to Bric, Masi’s former tenants will also have a priority opportunity to move back to the newly developed apartment complex if they so choose and qualify for the housing.

Who will qualify for housing at Creekside Village? According to Bric, preference will be given to households that currently live on Vashon, have Vashon employment, or have family on the island. Shelter America will work with Vashon Youth & Family Services as well as a professional property managment company to facilitate this effort, Bric said, with a unit designated for that company’s on-site, live-in property manager.

Rents at Creekside Village will range — as per current Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s calculations for income-limited households and corresponding restricted rent — from approximately $1,409-$1,703 for a one-bedroom apartment; $1,685-2,039 for two bedrooms; and $1,941-$2,350 for three-bedroom units.

The site will also contain 47 parking spaces for residents, in a lot fronting the property, close to Gorsuch Road.

Bric, asked to reflect as construction commences on Creekside, said he felt a lot of emotion.

“In my long career, to be able to provide this island home of ours with 41 units of affordable housing is a wonderful way to cap a career,” he said. “It’s been so difficult to bring this housing to the island, but it’s been a sustained commitment for me and for many others. We got to a point where there was no reverse gear, and so we just pushed on and on, and here we are.”

Bric said there is a sense of satisfaction and joy among the project’s funders, as well: “Beginning with King County and Department of Commerce and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, there has been a meaningful commitment to this project over the span of many years.”

“In joking, I’ve often said I was a raven-haired youth when I started all of this,” he said. “So now I’m all gray, elated and a bit exhausted, but there is no resting on our laurels at this point now that the construction phase of the development has started.”

The online version of this article, published in print by The Beachcomber on June 5, adds an additional clarifying quote from Christopher Bric, crediting Mike Masi for first envisioning an affordable housing development on the property he later sold to Shelter America.