Seattle Artspace Housing Projects Plagued With Issues

Artspace Projects, the Minneapolis-based nonprofit bringing housing to creative communities across the country, is under fire for its dealings in Seattle.

Residents at the Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts in Pioneer Square, Hiawatha Lofts in the Central District and Mount Baker Lofts in Southeast Seattle have been allegedly dealing with compounding code violations, unresponsiveness from building management, chronic maintenance issues and threats of eviction, The Seattle Times reported.

In the past six years, city and state agencies and code enforcement officials have received at least 70 written complaints from Artspace tenants.

Artspace put the blame on outside property management firms.

The organization said the economic setbacks of the pandemic, including labor shortages and increasing operating costs, led the company to work with more third-party property management firms for day-to-day operations at the buildings.

“Many funding sources that once supported artist-centered programming and community engagement have shrunk or vanished,” Tio Aiken, Artspace’s chief communications officer, said in a statement to the Times.

Artspace’s three Seattle outposts, like traditional subsidized housing, cap rent based on tenant income. A single person making $44,000 a year pays a maximum of $1,100 per month for a studio; a family of three with a household income of $84,840 will pay $2,121 a month at most for a two-bedroom.

Since opening in 2004, the 50-unit Tashiro Kaplan, located at 115 Prefontaine Place South, has gotten about $5 million in funding from local and state government agencies. The 61-unit Hiawatha Lofts at 843 Hiawatha Place South, opened in 2008, and the 57-unit Mt. Baker Lofts at 2915 Rainier Avenue South, opened in 2014, have received a combined total of $11.2 million in local and state funds. All three buildings have also received a combined $15.6 million in federal tax credits.

Residents at Hiawatha and Tashiro Kaplan complained about building upkeep for years. The deck at Tashiro Kaplan, for example, the building’s only outdoor community space, has been in disrepair and closed for five years. Other residents reported cracks in their apartment walls and ceilings that leak when it rains. At Hiawatha, disabled residents were forced to use the stairs after the elevator kept breaking.

The issues aren’t unique to Artspace properties, however; several affordable housing providers have submitted reports to the city explaining that increasing costs, decreasing rental income due to vacancies and unpaid rent, and aging buildings made maintenance during the pandemic more difficult. On the city’s end, agencies that deal with oversight temporarily paused inspections in 2020, which created a backlog to sift through.

Artspace “regret[s]” when challenges like these get in the way of its mission to support artists with living spaces, Aiken told the Times. She also noted that Indigo Real Estate has managed its three Seattle buildings since 2023 and is responsible for daily operations and adherence to regulations. Indigo did not respond to the Times’ requests for comment.

“Due to fair housing regulations and ongoing confidentiality requirements related to individual tenancy or legal matters, we cannot comment on specific eviction notices or resident cases,” Aiken said. “We expect all property management partners to operate in full compliance with housing law and contractual obligations.”

— Chris Malone Méndez