Awards

KCHA is recognized nationally as a leader in the field of affordable housing. We have earned many regional and national awards for its innovative communities and programs.

Greenbridge

Greenbridge is a master-planned community in White Center. When complete, it will provide an array of affordable housing, parks and trails, and shops and services to a mix of households with low to moderate incomes. The site was previously home to the Park Lake Homes I subsidized housing complex.

Gov. Chris Gregoire presented Greenbridge with the Legacy of Livable Communities Award. It recognizes achievement in creating vibrant, livable communities that advance the goals of the Growth Management Act. The project also won the Community-Informed Design Award from the National American Institute of Architects and the U.S. Secretary of HUD. It applauds Greenbridge's inclusive planning process and a design that respects both families and the environment. Additionally, Greenbridge won the 10-Minute Neighborhood Award, given by the International Making Cities Livable Council.  The award recognizes neighborhoods where people live within a 10-minute walk to grocery stores, transit, parks, and other essential services, lessening environmental impacts and promoting healthy lifestyles.

The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties gave Greenbridge its Built Green Hammer Award. It recognizes the development as an innovative and outstanding large community that meets three-star Built Green standards. The Sixth Place Apartments at Greenbridge also received the Residential Energy Efficiency Award from Affordable Comfort, Inc. And three market-rate home developments at Greenbridge collectively won the Master-Plan Community of the Year award from the New Home Council.

The American Council of Engineering Companies, Construction Management Association of America, and Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington have all honored Greenbridge for excellence in construction and engineering. The Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects recognized the community's system of parks and trails with a Design Award for Social Response.

The Jim Wiley Community Center at Greenbridge received the Excellence in Construction Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington. It also won an Award of Excellence for renovation and an Award of Merit for design from the National Association of Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

Greenbridge's Nia Apartments won both an Award of Excellence and an Award of Merit from NAHRO for project design. Its Seola Crossing project won a Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award from the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition.

Seola Gardens

Seola Gardens is also a master-planned community in White Center. When complete, it too will mix low- and moderate-income housing with parks, trails, a community center, and environmentally friendly features. The site was the former home of the Park Lake Homes II subsidized housing complex.

The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties gave Seola Gardens its Built Green Hammer Award. The award honors outstanding residential green building projects.

Birch Creek

The Birch Creek community in Kent won the Award of Excellence from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington. The award honors the dramatic improvements made to the interiors of the site's 262 low-income units. The Birch Creek Youth Center (formerly Springwood Youth Center) won Recreation Management Magazine's Editor's Choice Award for Innovative Architecture and Design. It also received an Award of Excellence from NAHRO. Both the Youth Center and the site's Kent Family Center won Awards of Merit from NAHRO.

The Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA) honored KCHA with its Recycler of the Year Award for our commitment to construction waste recycling during the redevelopment process.

The Village at Overlake Station

Redmond's Village at Overlake Station was the country's first transit-oriented development centered on buses. It won the Director's Award for Leadership from the Washington Department of Community Trade and Economic Development. It also received the Award of Excellence in program innovation for affordable housing from NAHRO. The city of Redmond gave the project an outstanding design award.

Smaller Communities

Ballinger Homes in Shoreline won a NAHRO Award of Merit for its $4.2 million exterior improvement project. The community garden at Wayland Arms in Auburn was also recognized with an Award of Merit. It was built by residents and replaced a garden that was displaced by a transportation project.

Colonial Gardens, Cottonwood, Cove East, Timberwood, and Woodside East each received a five-star certification from King County's EnviroStars program. The awards recognize the steps each property has taken to reduce, recycle, and properly manage hazardous waste.

Central Annex Office

The central annex office in Tukwila, also known as the 700 building, was selected as a second place winner of an ASHRAE Technology Award in the Commercial Buildings - Existing category. The ASHRAE technology awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in the design and operation of energy-efficient buildings.

The central annex office also received Energy Star certification from the federal government. With a score of 97/100 for energy efficiency, the building is one of the most efficient office buildings in the nation.

Programs & Services

KCHA received NAHRO's Award of Merit in 2024 for the While-in-School Housing program, which provides Housing Choice Vouchers to students experiencing homelessness while they complete their degree or certificate, and for six months after graduation.

In 2024, NAHRO honored KCHA with an Award of Excellence for its Neighborhood Early Learning Connectors program, which brings together neighbors and parents, prepares children for kindergarten and provides essential supplies for residents with young children.

In 2017, KCHA was presented with a Leadership Award by the U.S. Department of Energy and HUD for tracking and sharing building performance information through a full data display in the Better Buildings Challenge - Multifamily Sector.

In 2017, KCHA was honored with a Green Globe award from King County for our environmentally responsible business practices.

KCHA received an ARCH 2016 Community Recognition Award for our work on the Eastside. The award recognizes our Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)  program for making housing opportunities available to vulnerable lower income households in East King County's high opportunity areas.

KCHA was recognized by the King County Solid Waste Division as one of the Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling for its efforts to recycle and reduce waste in 2015.

KCHA was named Tukwila Business Recycler of the Year for 2013. The award honors businesses for  excellence in recycling, buying recycled products, reducing waste, and conserving energy and water.

KCHA won an Award of Excellence from NAHRO for its tenant resource education program. More than 2,500 households in buildings undergoing energy and water retrofits received shower timers, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and energy-saving tips.

We have also won Awards of Merit from NAHRO for our:

• Neighborhood Early Learning Connectors program
• Section 8 customer service
• Whole Building energy usage study
• Student and Family Stability Initiative
• Small Capital Projects Completion protocol
• Change Management and Implementation initiative
• Community-based recycling program
• Coming Up program for homeless young adults
• Section 8 resident services
• Housing First pilot project
• EASY Rent program
• Central Applications Center
• Unit upgrade program