Problematic Fremont motel could soon house formerly homeless | Development

A nonprofit group is working to turn the Fremont Inn – Seattle’s original chronic nuisance property – into a housing development for 71 men and women with a history of homelessness living on less than 30 percent of the median income.

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington is currently applying for funding from the city, county and state. It plans on submitting the project to the city in July and should hear back on funding in the fall.

The Fremont Inn (formerly the Thunderbird Motel), located at 4251 Aurora Ave. N., was the first business in the city to be declared a chronic nuisance property under a new city ordinance in September.

"We get a lot of violence in the neighborhood,” neighbor Todd Fitch told KOMO’s Lindsay Cohen in September. “We see drug paraphernalia, needles on the street. Had to actually stop people – a pimp, I assumed – from beating up his prostitute out there before. We have three kids, so that adds extra concern for us."

"On the day we moved in, there was someone who might have been a prostitute walking by," neighbor Chris Hamilton told Cohen in December, after the motel was closed and auctioned off for $1.4 million. "It was always kind of a sketchy place. There would always be people hanging around who were maybe, possibly drug addicts or street walkers."

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington operates many housing and shelter sites throughout King County, including the 66-unit Aloha Inn down the road at 1911 Aurora Ave. N. It served more than 81,000 clients in 2010.

According to the CCSWW website, the organization provides high-quality, professionally competent services with integrity and using best practices.

The project is planned as a four-story development with 71 units, a rooftop garden and officers, services and activities for residents on the first floor.

According to a CCSWW spokesperson, it chose the former Fremont Inn location because it has great bus service, is near downtown without being in downtown and because Fremont offers many neighborhood amenities.

CCSWW met with the Fremont Neighborhood Council and the Fremont Chamber of Commerce this week and will be meeting with a community group in Wallingford, as well as neighbors of Fremont Inn,  in the near future.

According to the CCSWW spokesperson, the organization is getting good feedback so far.

Jessica Vets, executive director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber is supporting the project and will be sending a letter of support to help with financing acquisition.

“Any concerns we might have had are allayed by the fact that Catholic Family Services will be facilitating the project,” Vets said. “Their past management record makes this project a welcome asset to the Fremont community.”

Linda Clifton, a member of FAWN (Fremont Aurora Wallingford Neighbors), attended the meeting between CCSWW and the Fremont Neighborhood Council. She said the main concern she heard about the project was about visitors to residents at the future housing development and how they would be controlled. She said, to her, CCSWW answered those concerns in a reassuring manner.

Clifton said there has been a dramatic decrease in crime in the area since the Fremont Inn, and two other motels, were closed. FAWN supports a mix of housing, including low-income, but it mostly wants to see well-managed properties that are good neighbors, she said.

The Fremont Neighborhood Council recently made redevelopment of Aurora a priority for the coming year.