Long-planned affordable housing site opens near Tacoma Community College
.jpg "The recently opened Mercy Aviva Crossing, 1622 S. Mildred St., features 129 affordable units, half of which are two and three bedrooms to help provide housing for low-income families.")
A long-planned Tacoma affordable housing site celebrated its grand opening this month.
Mercy Aviva Crossing, 1622 S. Mildred St., features 129 affordable units, half of which are two and three bedrooms to help provide housing for low-income families.
The development is a partnership between Tacoma Housing Authority, which owns the site, and Mercy Housing Northwest, with nearly $92 million in funding from a variety of entities, including Pierce County, the City of Tacoma, the state Housing Trust Fund, the National Housing Trust Fund, Tacoma Housing Authority and Mercy contributions, among others, as well as tax credit equity from enterprise community partners, bonds and loans.
According to the property’s website, “All apartments are governed by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, and some units are also subject to additional affordable housing program requirements.”
It noted, “All Units include a Housing Voucher from Tacoma Housing Authority and all applicants must also meet THA criteria.”
Mercy Aviva Crossing has income limits based on household size, and applicants must meet all eligibility criteria.
The project serves individuals and families with household incomes at or below 30% to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
The development is between Tacoma Community College and James Center Plaza and is in a transit corridor. Additional partnerships include Tacoma Public Schools “who will ensure support for children in schools and a path to housing for students struggling with homelessness,” according to a Mercy Northwest release, “as well as Metropolitan Development Council, who will provide onsite programming.”
Amenities at Aviva Crossing include two courtyards, a playground, community garden spaces and floor lounges, as well as a pet play zone among other features.
“Aviva Crossing is an incredible community asset in Tacoma’s West End,” Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello said in a statement. “Not only are these units deeply affordable, they offer on-site services that will ensure the families who live there thrive. This project was a longtime coming, and I’m proud of the county’s role in making it a reality through the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act.”
Also planned for the area is Koz at Aviva Crossing, which in 2025 was approved for a 12-year multifamily property tax exemption for 226 units at 1602 S. Mildred St. That plan calls for a unit mix of studios up to two-bedroom units designed to attract students and retail/service workers.
According to THA, the Aviva Crossing site, first announced in 2017, is an “envisioned community with diverse mixed-income housing and communal open and green space designed with pedestrians and environmental sustainability in mind.”
Mercy Housing Northwest is an affordable housing developer with 53 properties serving over 6,000 residents in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Mercy Housing Northwest is a regional office of Mercy Housing, a nationwide organization providing 343 properties serving more than 42,000 individuals.
Mercy Housing Northwest also is in the process of developing another affordable housing site at 3561 Pacific Ave.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 9:00 AM.
