08/07/2026
We saw the potential of mixed-income housing back in 2017.
At the time, I was serving as Finance Officer for the American Legion Memorial Post 91 Burlington, WA. Our board developed a vision for a five-story, mixed-use housing project on the Legion property across from the Burlington Post Office on Fairhaven Avenue.
The concept was ambitious:
✅ The Legion would donate the land to Volunteers of America Western Washington
✅ The ground floor would include a new Legion home, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, offices, and spaces the public could use for small events
✅ The upper floors would provide approximately 48 homes
✅ The housing would follow a five-part model serving veterans using HUD-VASH vouchers, seniors and people with disabilities, households needing affordable rents, market-rate renters, and young adults transitioning out of foster care
We believed then—and I still believe today—that a healthy community should include people of different ages, experiences, abilities, and income levels.
Recently, I read this Forbes article about the potential of mixed-income multifamily housing https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffsteele/2026/08/04/exploring-the-potential-of-mixed-income-multifamily-housing/
It highlights new Urban Institute research from Massachusetts.
Among the findings:
✅ Mixed-income projects represented 65% of the new units completed in the large multifamily developments studied from 2021 through 2025
✅ Those developments produced 56% of the affordable units delivered within the projects studied
✅ Mixed-income developments were more likely to be located in neighborhoods with stronger job access, higher incomes, and higher educational attainment
The researchers are also clear: mixed-income housing is not a replacement for fully affordable housing. It is one important part of a broader housing strategy.
Reading this brought back a LOT of emotion for me.
When we listed the Legion property for sale a few years ago and received FOUR solid offers within three weeks, I was over the moon. I could see the possibility of this project becoming real.
But leadership, priorities, and direction changed over the years, and the original project did not move forward. Volunteers of America Western Washington ultimately redirected grant funding secured for the concept to another Burlington development expected to open later this year—including 12 homes for veterans.
I am genuinely THRILLED that those 12 veteran units are coming. I am also deeply saddened by what we could have created on Fairhaven.
That experience was one of the hardest moments of my real estate career. It was never about the money I might earn from a transaction. It was about changing the landscape of housing—and expanding our idea of what community could look like.
That vision is still alive in me.
To developers, nonprofit leaders, business owners, investors, public officials, property owners, and community members who are ready to think bigger:
Growth is possible.
Change is possible.
Community is essential.
And hope matters.
I am ready to help identify the next property, bring the right people together, and pursue the next big housing opportunity.
If you have land, a building, a development concept, funding, or simply the courage to dream bigger, let’s brainstorm a partnership.
Mixed-income housing, while not a replacement for fully affordable developments, holds the potential for increasing the supply of affordable housing.
