White Center - It required a lot of faith at the outset. The squalid property known as The Cones Apartments was the bane of police and the surrounding neighborhood. It was crime-ridden, rat-infested and structurally deficient. But in 2002, the King County Housing Authority bought the notorious complex, confident that it could be transformed into safe, attractive affordable housing – within a time span of one year. On Friday – after the completion of a total makeover – local elected officials, private partners and the surrounding community will celebrate the conversion of the Cones into the refurbished, revitalized rental housing community now called Arbor Heights Apartments.

Arbor Heights, located at the gateway to White Center, is a 96-unit residential property comprised of four buildings. The buildings were badly deteriorated and in desperate need of repair. Drug dealing and gang activity were common. But rents were affordable, so working families with few choices lived there and hoped for the best.

Arbor Heights after renovations

"To put it bluntly, what we acquired was a slum," said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority. "The property was dangerous, dilapidated and a problem for the entire community."

The development, sited near several neighborhood schools and convenient to major employment centers, including SeaTac Airport and Seattle, is a key element in King County and the Authority’s vision for a revitalized White Center community.

Several efforts to transform the area have been completed and more are well underway. King County Housing Authority, in partnership with a private developer, purchased and renovated the troubled 335-unit Mallard Lake Apartments, now called Coronado Springs. The White Center Community Development Association has been established to buff up White Center’s appeal and support the local business community and redevelopment efforts. The redevelopment of Park Lake Homes into a 1000-unit mixed-income community is in the planning stages. In addition, a new White Center Heights Elementary School is under construction; it will open as a community school in the fall.

King County Executive Ron Sims explains, "We are looking at the broader picture for this community. To make White Center a better place for people to work and raise their children, we had to do something about that property."

It took more than wishful thinking to make this transformation real.

The Cones prior to KCHA's acquisition

"While we wanted a better environment for the families who live in White Center – we knew that turning this property around would be financially risky and challenging," said Mr. Norman. "With the support of a number of critical partners including the county, the state, the city of Seattle, Walsh Construction Company, John Hancock Realty Advisers, Inc., the Sheriff’s Department and New Futures, this effort has exceeded all expectations of success."

And so, one year and $6.2 million in renovations later, the families at Arbor Heights Apartments and the surrounding neighborhood have had their trust rewarded. As Tom Mathews, general manager of Walsh Construction, the primary contractor on the project put it, "We turned bricks and sticks into homes and community."

"We’re building strong families and a healthy community in White Center with this investment," said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. "This makes a real difference in the lives of working families who need affordable housing."

King County Executive Ron Sims, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Councilmember Dow Constantine, as well as private partners and community residents, will speak at an event celebrating this hard-earned achievement on March 5 at 10:30 a.m. The event, hosted by the King County Housing Authority will be held next to the play area at Arbor Heights Apartments, 135 Southwest 116th St., in White Center.

KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs for residents of King County. The Authority serves more than 16,000 families, elderly and disabled households on a daily basis.