ICHS and LIHI partner to bring state-of-the-art health facility and affordable housing to Chinatown International District
International Community Health Services (ICHS) is partnering with Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) in the construction of a mixed-use development that will be the home of a new state of the art healthcare facility as well as affordable housing in the Chinatown International District.
In March, ICHS and LIHI worked with a developer to complete the purchase and sale of a building on 7th Ave S. and Lane Street. The building is just one block from ICHS’ current International District clinic location — ICHS’ largest, serving nearly 11,000 patients annually.
“The new site is an important step for ICHS and will be a wonderful new home for our clinic, offering an enhanced work environment and the continued delivery of quality healthcare services,” said ICHS CEO Kelli Nomura. “This will offer us the opportunity to better serve our patients, to continue to work with our valuable business partners in the CID community, and to remain committed to our roots — serving the Chinatown International District and its people at an affordable cost.”
Development of the new property will not begin until approximately 2026. A plan will be developed to determine the design of the building and what services will be offered at the new location that is in alignment with ICHS’ vision of the future in serving the community.
LIHI plans to build 90 affordable units for families and individuals above ICHS’ new healthcare facility. The location of the property in the Chinatown International District offers families with convenient transportation, recreation, shopping and services. The building will include three floors of commercial space with parking below.
The purchase of the property is the first step in the partnership and years-long design and development process between ICHS and LIHI.
“We look forward to working with the many interests in the Chinatown International District to make the mixed-use development responsive to the needs of the community,” said LIHI executive director Sharon Lee.
Founded in 1991, LIHI is a nonprofit organization that develops, owns, and operates affordable housing in Seattle and the Puget Sound region. LIHI owns over 3,500 housing units at 75 sites and provides 18 tiny house villages.
ICHS provides culturally and linguistically appropriate health services in over 70 languages to improve the wellness of King County’s diverse people and communities, regardless of patients’ ability to pay. Since its founding in 1973, ICHS has grown from a single storefront clinic in Seattle’s Chinatown International District with deep roots in the Asian Pacific Islander community, to a regional health care provider employing more than 600 staff and serving over 30,000 patients at 11 service locations.