The 3.8-acre Mount Baker Redevelopment and Rainier Rising Early Learning Campus is planned to deliver more than 400 affordable rental homes in two phases, along with childcare, family services and space for community programs. The development is expected to house more than 1,000 people.

The first phase includes 239 apartments. One-third are intended for households earning no more than 30% of the area median income, and 60% are planned as family-sized homes. Organizers say Mercy Housing Northwest and El Centro de la Raza are developing more than 400 affordable units across the project.

The Rainier Rising campus is planned as a 35,000-square-foot, two-story hub. Its first floor is expected to include eight early-learning classrooms serving more than 120 children, from infants through preschoolers. The second floor is planned for organizations supporting children and families, as well as professional development and adult learning for early-education workers.

Families are also expected to have access to health and well-being services through partnerships involving UW Medicine and the University of Washington schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Social Work, alongside community organizations. A flexible gathering and resource space, named for former UW President Ana Mari Cauce, will be supported by a gift from the Bezos Family Foundation.

The campus grew from planning that began in 2018 with families, educators and community leaders. Organizers say Rainier Valley residents helped shape its design, with the goal of expanding access to affordable, high-quality childcare and preschool and providing culturally affirming, anti-racist care.

The University of Washington College of Education is among the partners, alongside the City of Seattle Office of Housing, Washington state, Mercy Housing Northwest and El Centro de la Raza. College dean Mia Tuan said the project will connect university research with community knowledge and practice.

The housing redevelopment has a projected budget of $170 million, from public and private sources. The early-learning campus is expected to cost an additional $36 million, financed through federal, state, county and city resources and philanthropy.

Plans also call for 20,000 square feet of open space, a 6,000-square-foot community hub for events and cultural programming, and 4,000 square feet of commercial space intended for locally owned and BIPOC-owned businesses. The project will include stormwater management and other environmental measures that organizers say will exceed standard requirements.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson described the partnership as a way to address connected needs facing children, families and communities. Mercy Housing Northwest’s Colin Morgan-Cross said the project’s impact will depend not only on its buildings but also on the relationships and programs developed there.

The first phase of the redevelopment and the Rainier Rising campus are scheduled for completion by 2029.