Bellwether Housing Sells Vine Court Apartments Following Fire Damage

Bellwether Housing today announced the sale of the Vine Court Apartments in Belltown. This decision follows a catastrophic fire in July of 2024 that rendered the building uninhabitable, and tragically claimed the lives of two residents.

Bellwether has spent the last year analyzing the cost to repair the building and negotiating with insurers and finally determined that the cost to rebuild the housing far exceeds available insurance proceeds.

Vine Court was the Bellwether's first ground-up new construction, and it had been home to 55 lower income single-adult households since 1989.

From the moment of the fire, Bellwether Housing’s top priority was supporting Vine Court residents. Households were relocated quickly, with many moving into other affordable homes within Bellwether’s portfolio and others into apartments offered by nonprofit partners. In the immediate aftermath, Bellwether provided hotel accommodations, financial support, and intensive, hands-on assistance to ensure residents had safe, stable housing options.

“While it is difficult to part with a property that marked such a milestone in our history, we are proud of the way we supported residents and grateful for the community partners who helped us through this transition,” said Bellwether CEO, Susan Boyd.

Although Vine Court is leaving the portfolio, Bellwether continues to have a significant footprint in Belltown and downtown Seattle. Today, Bellwether owns and operates 274 affordable homes in Belltown and 674 in other areas of Downtown and South Lake Union.

Bellwether is also actively growing. With six projects currently in development in Seattle, Redmond, and Bellevue, Bellwether expects to add over 1,500new affordable apartment homes over the next five years, significantly expanding access to housing for people with low and moderate incomes across the region.

“Bellwether remains deeply committed to building affordable housing throughout the Puget Sound region. We will continue to pursue new transit-oriented developments in high opportunity neighborhoods to meet the huge need for affordable housing options in our community,” Boyd added.