A Great Day for Rainier Beach

By Ryan Meno, LEED AP, Rafn Company Project Manager 

The Emerald City Commons Apartment building on Rainier Avenue in Seattle recently celebrated its Grand Opening, billed as "A Great Day for Rainier Beach." 61 apartment homes coupled with on-site supportive services provided by Mercy Housing Northwest and Urban Impact, and Rainier Health and Fitness Center combine to help low-income families thrive in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. 

The 100,000 square foot building contains three levels of housing above 5,500 square feet of retail space and 70 underground parking spots. Housing is comprised of one, two, and three bedroom units ranging in size from 650 to 1,200 square feet with a large community room and 2nd floor courtyard with a children's play area. The retail level is home to supportive services and the relocated Rainier Health and Fitness, a non-profit health organization which promotes accessible and high-quality fitness opportunities. 

South facing units look over the courtyard landscaped with trees, wood decks, and the children's play area. The three bedroom units are designed for families and have a layout built with 180 degree views to allow parents to watch their kids play. 

The project is also sensitive to the environment by including energy efficient appliances and boiler, low VOC paints, finish materials that reduce allergens, a reflective white roof, solar reflective paving, and Energy Star Advanced lighting resulting in the building exceeding the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard. 

Funding for the project came from Union Bank, City of Seattle Office of Housing, Washington State Housing Trust Fund, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Seattle Housing Authority, Mercy Housing Northwest, and Urban Impact. 

The building was conceived by Urban Impact, developed by Mercy Housing Northwest, designed by MulvannyG2 Architecture, and constructed by the Rafn Company. KPFF was the structural and civil engineer and Karen Kiest Landscape Architects was the landscape architect. 

Photo 1 Credit: Mercy Housing Northwest 
Photo 2 Credit: Juan Hernandez of MulvannyG2 

The Growth of HomeStreet Bank

By Chip Gregory, Rafn Company Project Manager and Head of Special Projects Group 

The growth of HomeStreet Bank and the growth of the Rafn Company's Special Projects Group have been closely tied since 2001. During this period, HomeStreet Bank has expanded its commercial and consumer banking and lending with Rafn building their spaces along the way. Rafn's first project with HomeStreet Bank was at Bellevue Main and we've worked on 81 projects together since then. Rafn's Special Projects Group has also grown, including a record year in 2010 with over 10 million dollars in revenue. 

Based in Seattle, HomeStreet Bank is one of the largest community banks headquartered in Washington. HomeStreet began in 1921 as Continental Mortgage and Loan Company, initially offering financing for commercial real estate and home mortgages. HomeStreet evolved into a full service bank in 1986, further expanding its products and services in 2000 to include commercial banking and lending. HomeStreet Bank is consistently recognized by the federal government as "Outstanding" under the Community Reinvestment Act. (1) 

Today, HomeStreet Bank has just over $3 billion in assets, approximately 1,500 employees, and 78 retail deposit branches, stand-alone home loan centers, and commercial lending offices in the Pacific Northwest, California, and Hawaii. The Western Independent Bankers honored HomeStreet Bank's creativity and innovation with their 2013 Innovative Community Banks of the Year Award for its successful IPO-driven recapitalization. 

HomeStreet Bank is not only an accomplished lender, they are also great philanthropists and community leaders. Just this year the Puget Sound Business Journal recognized them as one of the top 25 corporate philanthropists in their 2013 Corporate Citizenship Awards. 

The Rafn Company is honored to be HomeStreet Bank's building partner and we look forward to many more projects together. 

(1) www.homestreet.com/everythingelse/about-us