Will you chip in to support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation today? Yes, I want to support My Edmonds News!
The former America’s Best Value Inn in Edmonds is still on track to become emergency bridge housing.
The plan is to open the site at 22127 Highway 99 sometime in summer 2025, said Kari Bray, communications director for the Snohomish County Executive’s Office. Same goes for a site in Everett at 1602 S.E. Everett Mall Way, which used to be a Days Inn.
“We are now in the process of preparing both properties for occupancy,” Bray wrote in an email Oct. 9.
The My Neighborhood News Network reported in May 2024 that bridge housing is “a first step toward permanent housing for those who are unhoused.” It comes with medical and mental health assistance, job resources and other services.
The Edmonds New Start Center will have 48 units. The Everett New Start Center will have 75 units.
Previously, the plan was to have 55 units in Edmonds but Bray said the number of units was decreased to make space for meeting rooms, group living areas, a laundry area, the operator’s office space, an employee break room and a wellness room.
The Edmonds and Everett sites cost about $20.2 million total, and the county used federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for them.
“We’re appreciative of the ARPA funding that helped move this project forward,” Bray said.
Drug decontamination work at the Edmonds and Everett sites delayed the progress of the project. In 2022, the county tested both sites and found high levels of drug contamination.
It cost the county about $1.2 million total to decontaminate the Edmonds and Everett locations. When asked what funds were used to pay for that, Bray wrote in an email Oct. 11 that the sellers of the properties reduced the purchase price to offset decontamination costs.
The county is in the process of reviewing letters of interest from agencies that want to operate the Edmonds site, Bray wrote in the Oct. 9 email.
The county Policy Advisory Board (PAB) has recommended a contractor for the Everett site, but Snohomish County Council has yet to vote on it.
Regarding public engagement efforts related to the Edmonds and Everett projects, Bray said that the county’s Human Services Department and Office of Recovery & Resilience had “extensive community engagement” to inform the public about the project.
The county solicited input from housing and service providers, local jurisdictions, surrounding neighbors and businesses and employment service providers, among other groups, Bray said.
According to Bray, once plans are solidified for both sites, the county will provide updates on major project milestones to communities surrounding the Edmonds and Everett sites. There will also be a Good Neighbor Agreement for both sites, which outlines the responsibilities and plans of the county, agency and other community partners, Bray said.
— Story and photo by Angelica Relente
Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network.
I notice that this article was altered and all comments deleted.
Not true — nothing altered and no comments deleted.
Well, the article that I read earlier had a bunch of comments, two from Clinton Webb [?] Plus my comment. The article I read was by Thersa Whipple. Where are those comments now? I would love to find them.
Here’s the other article you are talking about: https://myedmondsnews.com/2024/05/emergency-bridge-housing-at-former-edmonds-hotel-moving-forward-now-that-meth-decontamination-complete/
Thank you.
Glad to see this location being put to this particular use. I hope the people who will be living there grab onto this opportunity with both hands and gain/regain health and stability in their lives. I’ve donated hygiene products to the former nursing home further up 99 in Shoreline that is a similar type of shelter and they are always so happy about it. (just dropping a hint for the community)