FAQs

625 Winslow Way is one of the most practical and cost-effective locations for affordable housing on Bainbridge Island.

The City already owns the land, which means it does not need to spend additional public money purchasing property. The site has also already gone through studies on traffic, water, sewer, environmental impact, and other key issues.

The location is close to transportation, grocery stores, services, schools, and downtown Winslow, which makes it more accessible for future residents and helps the project qualify for important state funding sources. Compared with past housing proposals, 625 also raises fewer concerns about tree removal and is even closer to transit.

Selling the land and trying to build somewhere else would likely cost more. A City financial analysis found that developing affordable housing at 625 would require about $97,000 in city funds per unit, compared with an estimated $233,333 per unit to build elsewhere.

625 does not yet have a final unit count. That number will likely depend on the final design, funding, and development agreement.

What is clear is that 625 is intended to provide a meaningful number of income-restricted homes for people who are currently priced out of Bainbridge. The project is meant to serve households earning roughly $43,500 to $74,500, including workers such as store clerks, optometrist technicians, bakery managers, landscapers, and others who help keep the island running.

No final design has been created yet.

That means the community still has an opportunity to help shape what 625 Winslow Way becomes. Current concepts include a mix of housing, commercial space, community space, green space, a public plaza, a playground, a visitor center, and design elements that complement the nearby Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

Unlike many private development projects, 625 includes a public process. The final design is not fixed, and community input can help make the site a place that feels useful, attractive, and connected to Winslow.

Affordable housing has been a City priority for more than 20 years, and the specific 625 Winslow proposal began in 2022.

That year, the Bainbridge Island City Council voted 7-0 to move forward with developing the site because it met many of the criteria for successful affordable housing. Since then, the project has gone through feasibility studies, research, financial review, impact studies, and community input.

The project has not been rushed. It is part of a much longer effort to address Bainbridge’s housing shortage and meet state housing requirements.

Multi-family housing generally uses less water per person than single-family housing.

multi-unit homes can use up to 20% less water per capita than single-family homes. They also tend to consume less energy and create a lower carbon footprint because shared walls, smaller units, and denser infrastructure are more efficient.

There are also many ways Bainbridge can conserve water, including limiting high-water uses like sprinklers, pools, and golf courses. From an environmental standpoint, placing housing in an already urbanized area like Winslow is a smarter use of land and infrastructure than pushing development into less central areas.

Yes. In fact, Bainbridge needs this kind of housing alongside smaller-scale solutions like ADUs, cottages, and smaller apartment buildings.

ADUs and small buildings can help, but they do not always guarantee accessibility. A medium-density project like 625 would be built under the Washington State Building Code, Title II of the ADA, and Fair Housing Act design standards. That means homes would be accessible by elevator and designed with disability access in mind.

Bainbridge has produced only 84 new affordable units in the past five years, and only seven are known to be accessible. Meeting the scale of the housing need will require multiple approaches, including 625.

An independent traffic analysis found that 625 would not add to the existing traffic problems at Winslow Way and Highway 305, even during peak ferry hours.

Traffic at that intersection is already difficult, especially when ferries unload. However, between ferry arrivals, the intersection is less congested than other areas, including 305 and High School Road.

Affordable housing near jobs may also reduce traffic over time. According to the provided information, 79% of surveyed Bainbridge workers do not live on the island, but would if they could afford to. Housing more workers near their jobs could mean fewer daily car trips onto and across the island.

625 is located in an already urbanized part of Bainbridge, which makes it a more environmentally responsible location for new housing.

Because the site is close to transit, services, stores, and jobs, future residents would have more options to walk, bike, take transit, or drive shorter distances. The project would also disturb very few trees compared with some earlier housing proposals.

Multi-family housing is also generally more efficient than single-family housing. It uses less land, less energy, and less water per person. From an environmental standpoint, building homes in a central location like Winslow can help reduce sprawl and make better use of existing infrastructure.