Affordable housing units open near Renton City Hall

The Watershed Apartments on Williams Avenue are within walking distance of downtown, City Hall and the future site of the city’s new transit center.

By Bailey Josie • May 9, 2024 7:30 am
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Watershed Apartments took place April 18 with guest speakers and a tour of the facilities, which includes a fitness center, parcel room, rooftop lounge area and more. Courtesy image
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Watershed Apartments took place April 18 with guest speakers and a tour of the facilities, which includes a fitness center, parcel room, rooftop lounge area and more. Courtesy image

After three years, the Watershed Apartments near downtown Renton and across the street from City Hall has finally opened, offering 145 affordable housing units at 625 Williams Avenue.

On Thursday, April 18, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed with Mayor Armondo Pavone, members of Renton’s City Council and local community leaders in attendance

According to the City of Renton, the development of the Watershed Apartments was a collaboration between public and private partners which includes GMD Development, Microsoft, Boston Financial, the Evergreen Impact Housing Fund, the Seattle Foundation, Citi Community Capital, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Sierra, Studio 19 Architects, and Thrive.

Standing at six stories, all of the apartments are available for residents who earn between 50% and 60% of the area median income (AMI) who also meet the household requirements that have been defined by King County. For a one-person household, the prospective Watershed resident would need to earn a maximum income of $47,950 at 50% of the AMI. Maximum occupancy is two people per bedroom plus one, so a studio apartment would be able to house two people while seven people would be able to rent a three-bedroom apartment at Watershed.

Community amenities include an indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge with a kitchen and TV, a rooftop deck with a fire pit, barbecues, dining and lounge seating, a landscaped outdoor courtyard and gathering space and a fitness center. Pets are also allowed.

Other resident amenities are a pet-friendly path to Burnett Linear Park, electric vehicle charging stations, controlled access to bicycle storage and a repair station, controlled access entry and a parcel room, in-home washer and dryer and walk-in closets.

The project received private financing from Evergreen Impact Housing Fund (EIHF) and Citi Community Capital, alongside public funding from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. The Watershed Apartments are the fourth project for EIHF, which previously financed the Solera property in Renton with a consortium of five local credit unions.

For more information, visit watershedreonton.com or call 206-759-2560.