35 senior apartments at Kingston’s Village Green expected to be completed in fall 2013
Published 8:00 am Friday, August 31, 2012
KINGSTON — In fall 2013, at least 35 residents age 62 and older will have a new affordable housing option available to them in Kingston.
And the view’s pretty good, too.
More than 70 people gathered on Aug. 9 for the groundbreaking of the Martha & Mary Village Green Apartments, which will have one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors. Martha & Mary partnered with Shelter Resources, Inc., of Bellevue on the project.
This event is significant on several levels: It’s Martha & Mary’s first housing project outside of Poulsbo. And the $600,000 Martha & Mary paid for the land is enabling the Village Green Foundation to install infrastructure, among them road and utilities.
Nick Jewett, executive director of the foundation, said the project is an example of what’s possible when public and private organizations align around a vision: Meet community needs for affordable housing and education and recreation programs in a central location.
“We have a great project,” Jewett said. “People are working hard to make this thing happen.”
The 13-acre Village Green, formerly the site of Navy housing, is bordered roughly by West Kingston Road; Lindvog Road, with the exception of Billy Johnson Skate Park; California Avenue, which has not been developed; and a treeline east of Dulay Road and the Village Green tennis courts.
Roughly half of the Village Green is forested with protected wetland, Jewett said.
The Village Green Foundation and the Village Green Metropolitan Park District are separate entities but are alike in focus: Developing a public park and a replacement community center with a senior center, library, and Boys & Girls Club.
The foundation is a nonprofit whose role is to design, finance and construct the community center. The park district is a public taxing district created to secure and administer funding to operate the park and community center.
There are four owners of the Village Green.
The park district, a voter-created junior taxing district, owns 12 of the 13 acres of Village Green.
The foundation will lease land for a 21,000-square-foot community center it will own. The center will include a new Kingston branch library, Boys & Girls Club and a senior center.
Martha & Mary owns one acre, the site of the senior apartments.
Kitsap County owns and will continue to operate a wastewater pump station at the Village Green.
The Rotary Club funded the construction of the park’s pavilion. Other future features include park trails and an interpretive area, community gardens, and an amphitheater, according to a rendering on kingstonvillagegreen.org.
Jewett said the entire Village Green project could be completed in two years. “We have 70 percent of funding for the entire project, and we haven’t started the public fundraising portion yet,” Jewett said.
In addition to the $600,000 from Martha & Mary, the county has pledged the proceeds from the sale of the current community center /library property, a wedge of land bordered by State Route 104 and Iowa Avenue.
Jewett said the Village Green project has brought the community together in ways he hasn’t seen in the 33 years he’s lived here.
“It’s become a very real community,” he said. “People are moving to Kingston because they want to raise their children here. Older residents want to retire here because they can become involved in the community. A number of our board members chose to live here because they wanted to become involved. At Pie in the Park, there were a number of young families there who are getting involved because they feel invested in the community.”
Project meets community needs
County and state officials offered their congratulations at the groundbreaking. Kitsap County Commissioner Rob Gelder spoke about the synergy and collaboration that the project represents — a real tribute to the way the community and the county have come together.
Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-23rd District, praised the people and organizations who have worked so long to create recreational and housing opportunities for Kingston. Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-23rd District, reminded all present of the important community needs that the project meets.
The Village Green Apartments is expected to be completed by fall 2013, Martha & Mary spokesman Josh Kluth said. Plans include 24 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom apartments ranging from 610 to 810 square feet. The cost of rent and utilities will range from $685-$890 a month, Kluth said. He said potential residents should contact Guardian Real Estate Services, (425) 423-0304.
Martha & Mary has served the Kitsap Peninsula for more than 120 years. It offers home care, short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, senior housing and children’s programs.
Martha & Mary has more than 600 employees, according to Kluth.
