News Release

Sept. 10, 2014 — Tukwila

Work has started on $1.4 million in energy-efficiency upgrades and building envelope renovations to Riverton Terrace, a 30-unit family public housing complex in Tukwila. Completion is scheduled for March 2015.

“KCHA’s investment is intended to complement the city of Tukwila’s efforts to revitalize the Thorndyke neighborhood, including the important Tukwila Village project,” said King County Housing Authority Executive Director Stephen Norman. Tukwila Village, which broke ground on Aug. 1, is the city’s project to redevelop a six-acre property to the immediate northwest of Riverton Terrace at South 144th Street and International Boulevard.

Originally constructed in 1969, the Riverton Terrace project will replace failing exterior siding, windows and entry doors to provide more energy efficient building envelopes. The renovations will also include the replacement of existing mansard style roofs with new roofs and building entrances that better match the architecture in the surrounding neighborhood.

The energy-conservation measures, including high-efficiency heat pumps, will reduce maintenance and operating costs for both the housing authority and residents. New ventilation and fans will improve air circulation in the apartments.

“KCHA’s work at Riverton Terrace and in the Thorndyke neighborhood furthers the city’s efforts to revitalize the area,” said Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton. “We appreciate the housing authority’s commitment to develop safe, healthy and livable communities.”

CE& C of Tacoma is the general contractor. ORB Architects of Renton is the project architect.

KCHA has made a number of other investments in surrounding properties in the Thorndyke neighborhood, including the extensive renovation of the adjacent Riverton Terrace senior apartments in 2008. That initiative included upgrades to the building’s fire safety systems, remodeled community spaces, and made significant improvements to the building’s envelope. In 2011, KCHA completed the construction of a new, 1,456 square-foot community facility at Pacific Court Apartments, located to the southwest of Riverton Terrace.

KCHA, an independent municipal corporation established under state law, assists more than 18,000 households in the Seattle metropolitan region on a daily basis. The Authority administers rental housing assistance, develops and manages affordable housing and works closely with community stakeholders to address local priorities such as ending homelessness, improving educational outcomes for the region’s low-income youth and assuring that disabled and elderly households can live with dignity.