14 lots in phase 2 of Wintergreen Townhomes designated as affordable

Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 30, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council approved a multi-family tax exemption contract with developer Central Highland Homes for phase 2 of the Wintergreen Townhomes project at its July 28 meeting.

The MFTE program is a local government incentive that waives property taxes on the residential improvement value of new or rehabilitated multifamily buildings in exchange for setting aside a portion of units as income- and rent-restricted affordable housing.

14 of the 43 homes in phase two of the project are for income-qualified households at or below 80% of the area median income. The developer has partnered with Housing Resources Bainbridge to designate the 14 lots for affordable housing. These homes will be added to HRB’s community land trust portfolio to manage long-term affordability, per city documents.

The application requests approval under the 20-year MFTE program, which requires at least 25% of the total housing units to be built by or sold to a qualified nonprofit or local government that will assure permanent affordable homeownership.

While phase one of the Wintergreen project, which has 30 units total and 17 that are designated affordable, is already complete and owner-occupied, final work on the remaining affordable housing units in phase two will continue through the rest of the year. Out of the 14 affordable homes in phase 2, two have already received certificates of occupancy and their new homeowners have already moved in as of July 29, HRB executive director Phedra Elliott said.

There are 73 total units at Wintergreen Townhomes ranging from one to three bedrooms, with 42 market-rate units and 31 one-bedroom units designated as affordable.