The Parkway Residents Association
The Parkway Apartments is a three story 41 unit
complex located about a mile down hill from the Microsoft campus at NE
40th and W. Lake Sammamish Parkway in Redmond, Washington. The complex
was built with a low interest loan from HUD and a percentage of the units
had to be low income.
In 1988 management was a resident manager
hired by the property management company hired by the owners who had moved
out of state. By 1990 that was changing to management by a string
off site managers employed by the property management companies hired by
the owners. The Residents, having been used to a resident manager,
had concerns over the change in quality of management and growing alarm
over the lack of concern by the owners for maintenance of the complex.
They formed a Resident Council whose focus was to learn to become self
managed on site in cooperation with the property management companies and
the owners. This concept was looked upon with scorn by the property
management companies and some dismay by the owners, who were preparing
to sell the property. The Resident Council became the Parkway Residents
Association, a legal non-profit seeking help from larger non profits to
purchase the property and work with them towards their goal of resident
self management.
By 1994 King County Housing Authority was
beginning to look at purchasing the property. When the owners arranged
an inspection to assess the sale value that somehow skipped some very serious
maintenance problems they arranged for a thorough independent assessment
that trimmed the sale price slightly, and more importantly gave the housing
authority a better understanding of the needs of the building, as well
as a more realistic renovation plan.
In 1997 the Parkway Residents Association attained federal recognition
as a non-profit organization. King County Housing Authority agreed
to work with them towards becoming self managed and a strategic partnership
was born.
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Richard Raymond Frye
ricfrye@gorge.net
206 E. Darland
Goldendale, WA 98620
(509) 773-8037