Rainier Vista Apartments and Ground Relate Townhouses:

There are 481 replacement public housing units planned for Rainier Vista & another 500 market rate rental units. Approximate half were constructed in Phase I, between 2004 - 2006. There are approximately 25 - 30 home ownership units, some developed by Habitat for Humanity. Medium-density apartment buildings, townhouses and Carriage House are  part of the housing redevelopment, funded in part by the federal government's HOPE VI grant program. The development is focused on a pedestrian oriented commercial area near the new light-rail station just south of the Rainier Vista site. Their design reflects a transition from the lower-density townhouse neighborhood to the north to the high-intensity and density mixed-use zone closest to the station. The building facades use materials and forms to relate to a more-residential quality of adjacent buildings to the north and move to a more commercial-styled structure adjacent to the mixed-use zone on the other side. The overall site plan includes public parks and private courtyards behind buildings. As in the rest of Rainier Vista, private parking is kept out of public view of the streets, accessed by alleys to the rear or under buildings in garages.

© 2009 Tonkin/Hoyne Architecture & Urban Design