Size: 60,000 SF commercial
Completion: 1996
Cost: $12 million
The Lyon building, under the ownership of King County Metro, had been used as class C office space. The building was purchased in a competitive process from Metro by AIDS Housing of Washington (AHW). In changing the use of the building from commercial to housing, the offices were renovated and redeveloped into a 65-unit independent housing facility for a population with multiple disabilities, including AIDS.
Betsy Lieberman of AHW, the owner and developer of the property, hired Lorig Associates to provide development expertise for the project. Maria Barrientos served as the Project Manager, providing a full range of services for AHW, including procurement of the building and securing funds from public and private sources. Maria assisted with the selection and management of the architect and contractor and managed the design, permitting, zoning and construction of the project. The majority of the project was financed by a combination of low income and historic tax credits, along with a funding grant from the city of Seattle’s DHHS.