Olympic Ridge Affordable Housing
Construction Management / Project Management Experience | Seattle
Type
Multifamily
Units
17 Units
Location
Seattle, WA
Olympic Ridge was a 17-unit affordable multifamily housing development located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The project was developed by Habitat for Humanity and included a basement level plus four stories of residential construction, with two residential units located at the basement level.
Envision Builders’ leadership provided full construction management and project management oversight for this project while working in a prior professional capacity. The project is included as part of our representative portfolio to demonstrate hands-on multifamily construction experience, urban infill coordination, and affordable housing delivery.
Despite its smaller unit count, Olympic Ridge was a highly complex project due to the tight urban site, basement excavation, contaminated soil conditions, shoring requirements, utility coordination, and city right-of-way impacts. The project was successfully delivered on schedule and completed in full compliance with project and municipal requirements.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This affordable housing development was designed to provide long-term, accessible housing within one of Seattle’s most active urban neighborhoods. The building included a basement residential level and four stories above grade, with carefully planned unit layouts, energy-efficient systems, and accessibility-focused design considerations throughout the project.
The fourth-floor units featured custom loft spaces accessed by ship-ladder-style stairs, creating unique residential layouts within a compact urban building footprint. These specialized unit features required additional coordination between the design team, framing trades, inspectors, and finish subcontractors to ensure compliance, safety, and functionality.
PROJECT DETAILS
Location
Seattle, WA
Neighborhood
Capitol Hill
Role
Project Type
Construction Management
Units
Construction Value
Building Type
Housing Type
Project Features
Developer / Owner
17
$5.2M
Affordable Multifamily Housing
Basement + 4 Stories
Affordable Housing
Energy-efficient and accessibility-focused design
Habitat for Humanity
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SCOPE
The project required full construction management and project management oversight from early site work through final completion. Responsibilities included trade coordination, schedule management, field problem-solving, city coordination, utility coordination, design team communication, budget tracking, and closeout support.
Key Construction Management Responsibilities
Managing day-to-day field coordination
Coordinating subcontractor sequencing
Supporting design changes and constructability reviews
Managing tight-site logistics within a dense Capitol Hill infill environment
Coordinating SDOT impacts and right-of-way requirements
Supporting inspection and compliance requirements
Overseeing project progress through final completion
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Although Olympic Ridge was a smaller multifamily project, it involved a high level of construction and coordination complexity.
The project included basement excavation within a constrained urban setting, requiring extensive shoring systems and careful retention planning. During excavation activities, contaminated soil was encountered in one portion of the site due to an old oil tank leak. This required environmental coordination, remediation oversight, and additional compliance management involving EPA-related procedures and documentation.
The sewer and storm systems also required ejector pump solutions due to the basement configuration and site constraints. These utility requirements added another layer of coordination between civil engineering, plumbing, excavation, and city inspection teams.
Additional Challenges Included
Tight Capitol Hill urban building site
Limited staging and laydown areas
Basement excavation and shoring requirements
Contaminated soil management
Existing oil tank contamination issue
SDOT coordination and right-of-way impacts
Sewer and storm ejector pump systems
Custom fourth-floor loft layouts
Ship-ladder-style stair access in select units
Affordable housing compliance and accessibility requirements
Representative Construction Management Experience
Olympic Ridge demonstrates Envision Builders’ leadership experience managing affordable multifamily construction within complex urban environments. From basement excavation and shoring to environmental coordination, utility infrastructure, custom residential layouts, and final completion, the project required hands-on management and proactive coordination through every stage of construction.