YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish is getting ready to shake up a Belltown corner this summer, with plans to break ground on a seven-story apartment building that will replace the century-old Lexington-Concord apartments. The nonprofit says the redevelopment will bring 83 mostly two- and three-bedroom affordable homes to the corner of Second Avenue and Battery Street, effectively doubling the property’s capacity for family-sized households.
The project carries an estimated price tag of $56.5 million, as reported by Puget Sound Business Journal. That total covers tearing down the aging structure and putting up a new seven-story building intended to refresh some of Belltown’s long-standing housing stock.
According to YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, SMR Architects, Truebeck Construction and JH Brawner are listed as project partners. The nonprofit says the site is funded by the City of Seattle Housing Levy, the Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
At a May community meeting, YWCA staff told neighbors that demolition is expected to begin this summer, with construction following later in the year. The organization expects the new building to be ready for lease by August 2028. Meeting materials also laid out the basics of living next to a construction zone, including planned daytime work hours, sidewalk detours and flaggers to protect pedestrians while crews are on site.
Impact on Residents and Neighbors
The Lexington-Concord previously housed 59 low-income units, and the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce reports that tenants were offered relocation allowances. The building is now empty after a demolition permit was issued. Those relocation payments were part of efforts to move residents into other affordable properties while the YWCA prepares the site for redevelopment.
Why It Matters
By focusing on two- and three-bedroom apartments, the project adds the kind of family-sized affordable homes that local planning and budget documents have flagged as scarce in Seattle’s housing stock. The larger units are intended to help households with children find space that actually fits them.
City budget materials and statements of legislative intent have called for expanding family-sized affordable units as a way to stabilize households, particularly as the region’s housing market tightens; see the City of Seattle budget documents for background on those priorities.
Demolition is slated for this summer, with construction expected to take roughly 20–22 months. YWCA officials say they will coordinate with city agencies to limit disruption as work unfolds in the dense Belltown streetscape. For project contacts and neighborhood notices, see the YWCA's redevelopment materials and meeting packet.
