Resiliency after flooding: Everson affordable housing community celebrates construction launch

Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County has officially broken ground on a long-planned, permanent affordable homeownership development in Everson.

Mateo Meadows, a mixed-use, mixed-income commercial and housing project , is underway on Lincoln Street near downtown Everson. The project is expected to include 30 townhomes with two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts. It will also feature eight apartment units along with 7,000 square feet of commercial space.

Local and state government officials celebrated the launch of the development on Saturday.

Built for climate resiliency

It will be the first affordable housing community in the area since Everson Meadows closed down in the aftermath of the 2021 floods. The flooding brought power outages, school and road closures , and mudslides . It ultimately caused millions of dollars of heavy damage .

“Mateo Meadows represents a new way of thinking about how the demand of the real estate market can be leveraged by the Habitat model and still provide long-term affordability to Whatcom County’s most economically vulnerable,” Habitat Whatcom Executive Director John Moon said in a release about the project.

The Mateo Meadows development will sit in the Nooksack River floodplain. However, Habitat for Humanity Construction Director Chris van Staalduinen previously told The Bellingham Herald the organization is building for climate resiliency and taking precautions in the home designs.

The finished floors of the homes will be built 2 feet above the base flood elevation to prevent water from damaging the home in the event of a flood. All electrical and mechanical wiring will also be run through an elevated area of the home to limit water damage repair to those systems.

Serving the Missing Middle

The development will serve those earning between 30% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The median household income in Whatcom County is about $74,884, according to the latest U.S. Census data.