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King County District 2: History is Made Here
King County Council Appoints Rhonda Lewis, Making History with First Black Woman and First Majority-Woman Council
October 17, 2026
Pictured Above from left to right: Councilmember Lewis, Vice President of Corporate Real Estate & Facilities at Amazon Sean Lee, Member Board of Directors for Mercy Housing Northwest, Allison Simon, Acting President of Mercy Housing Collin Morgan-Cross, Enrique Cerna, Governor Bob Ferguson, Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza Estela Ortega, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine, Seattle City Mayor Katie Wilson, Dean UW College of Education Dr. Mia Tuan, and UW Provost Tricia R. Serio.
Every so often, I get to witness years of community effort turn into something you can stand on. Thursday, October 15, was one of those days.
Across the street from Mount Baker light rail station, I joined community members, housing developers, childcare providers, and educators as the coalition behind the Mount Baker Redevelopment and Rainier Rising Early Learning Campus broke ground. For years, this 3.8-acre site held the University of Washington’s laundry facility. Soon it will hold homes for working families and classrooms for their youngest children.
This moment belongs to the Rainier Valley parents and educators who have been shaping this campus since 2018 and I am honored to stand alongside them as their vision became real.
At the beginning of my term I had the opportunity to speak with Principal Weiss of Franklin High School and UW President Jones. Both shared my excitement for what this campus will mean for Rainier Valley families, and both spoke to how urgently our community needs affordable, high-quality early learning close to home. I was pleased to see Principal Weiss again at this groundbreaking and having a full circle moment seeing this project come to life.
Developers including El Centro de la Raza and Mercy Housing will build 239 affordable homes in the first phase, most of them sized for families and larger households. Across both phases, roughly 400 affordable apartments will rise on this site, along with parks and commercial space.
When the Rainier Rising Early Learning Campus opens, more than 120 children from infancy through preschool will spend their days in its eight classrooms. The UW College of Education will also train and coach early learning educators there, investing in the people who care for our children every day. The $36 million campus is funded through philanthropy alongside federal, state, county and city dollars.
In my conversations with families across South Seattle, Skyway and Rainier Beach, two worries come up again and again. Parents tell me about the cost of keeping a roof over their heads, and parents tell me about the struggle to find childcare they can afford and trust. Many families face both at once. Some have spent months on waitlists. Others have left jobs because care costs more than a paycheck brings home.
Rising rents have also pushed many longtime Rainier Valley families farther south or out of the region entirely. Each of those moves pulls a family away from its schools and the neighbors who helped raise its kids. Family-sized affordable homes in the heart of the Rainier Valley give more of our neighbors a real chance to stay.
Location matters too. Light rail connects this site to Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello and Rainier Beach. A parent could drop a child off in the morning, step onto the train and reach work downtown or near the airport without a car. For families stretching every dollar, that convenience adds up quickly.
This campus will also invest in the early learning workforce, a field led in our district by many women of color who too often earn far less than the value of their work. Stronger training and support for those educators will benefit children far beyond this one building, in home-based childcare programs and preschools across District 2.
In 2029, the first families will move in, and the first children will walk through those classroom doors. Many of those children have not been born yet. I think about them, and about the parents who will finally have one less thing to worry about.
Groundbreaking of the Mount Baker Redevelopment and Rainer Raising Early Learning Campus
Have a question or need help navigating county resources? Please reach out to my District Director, Saeed Mahamood, at saeed.mahamood@kingcounty.gov or (206) 572-5828.
It is my honor to represent you on the King County Council.
You are always welcome to contact my office at 206 477-1002 or Rhonda.lewis@kingcounty.gov.
My D2 team looks forward to assisting you.
Sincerely,
 Rhonda Lewis, Councilmember
Metropolitan King County Council, District 2
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