More affordable housing for those making below the region’s median wage is on its way to east Kennewick.

City building and planning officials recently signed off on the building, plumbing and heating permits for the planned 10-building, 58-unit development at the corner of 13th Avenue and Gum Street, a project known as Bubble on Gum.

The roughly $11.2 million project will be the latest addition to the Kennewick Housing Authority’s inventory of housing and repurposes nearly 4 acres of the city’s former 10th Avenue shops.

“What makes this an advantageous site for a housing community is proximity to transportation and services,” according to a presentation on the project, noting nearby bus stops along 10th Avenue, Eastgate Elementary, Red Apple Market and several health care providers.

The project initially faced opposition from some residents, who voiced concerns about how increased housing density could worsen traffic and parking challenges along with worries a housing project serving those with low incomes would drive up crime.

Funded by a combination of local, state and federal grants and credits, Bubble on Gum will have a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

KHA named T.W. Clark Construction as general contractor in April.

The homes will be made available to those making between 30% to 50% of the area’s median incomes, or roughly more than $25,000 to just under $43,000 a year, as well as those with disabilities and veterans.

The area median income for the Tri-Cities was $85,792 in 2024, according to the Tri-City Development Council.

Initially the Kennewick Housing Authority planned a modern, more industrial looking development, but those who lived nearby wanted something different — they wanted it to fit into their neighborhood.

| Courtesy Kennewick Housing Authority

KHA has worked for several years to move the project forward as it faced a waitlist of more than 1,500 households as of 2023.

A 2022 housing market study commissioned by the agency found no affordable housing available in the region. Under state guidelines, apartments and other rental properties that cost no more than a third of the income of a household making at least 60% of the area’s median income are considered affordable. In the Tri-Cities, that would apply to households making about $51,000 per year.

KHA also has said job growth in the region paired with current and new rental housing being tailored for higher incomes will exacerbate the shortage.

In public comments, hearings and meetings, some living in the neighborhood said traffic backups on 10th Avenue when classes are starting or ending at Eastgate and a narrow 13th Avenue that already has many parked or abandoned vehicles may only be worsened by the complex.

The intersection of 10th Avenue and Gum Street is identified in city long range transportation plans to gain a traffic signal but that project has not yet been scheduled. And half of the area around 13th Avenue and Gum Street is outside the city and under county jurisdiction. County officials have previously said improvements in that area are intended but are still in the planning stages.

Neighbors also said the neighborhood is already unsafe and in their comments equated housing serving those earning low income as increasing crime. Some suggested the project should be built on the site of Arboretum Park further east to keep the area from becoming denser.

The housing agency did modify the housing development after a public comment period to give it a more residential feel so that it would fit in better with the neighborhood’s existing homes.