Sound Transit OKs Tiny Home Village Plan In Seattle's U District

SEATTLE — Sound Transit has agreed to lease land to the city of Seattle at no charge to build a temporary tiny house village in the University District, near one of the three new light rail stations slated to open later this year. Rosie's Tiny Home Village will be built at the corner of Northeast 45th St. and Roosevelt Way Northeast, on a site that formerly housed construction offices for Sound Transit.

Once complete, the 36 furnished tiny homes will provide space for up to 65 people, with shared kitchens and bathrooms. The site will be overseen by the city and operated by the Low Income Housing Institute. According to Sound Transit, the one-year lease can be renewed until 2024, when the property will be needed to construct a permanent "transit-oriented development."

"This partnership is an example of how Sound Transit is working with cities to address the urgent challenges facing people experiencing homelessness," said Peter Rogoff, Sound Transit's CEO. "This innovative use of property first used for construction staging when building our new U District station is helping us tackle the most critical need burdening our region."

As light rail service expands across Puget Sound, Sound Transit is working with developers to build affordable housing on its surplus land, along with new spaces for retail shops, restaurants and offices. In June, Amazon and Sound Transit announced a $100 million partnership to accelerate construction on property adjacent to new light rail stations.