Plans to convert a historic Tacoma church into affordable housing for young adults have created tension among neighbors in Tacoma’s North End neighborhood.
KIRO 7 News spoke with the owners of Amici House based in Port Orchard. They also own the property of The Rock Revival Center, a historic church built in 1908, located at the corner of North 24th Street and North Warner Street in Tacoma.
Andrew and Julie Cain purchased the property for $1 million in April of 2021.
They said they plan to convert the building into affordable housing which will house roughly 40 to 50 tenants in 11 shared rooms.
They are targeting young adults, from the ages of 18 to 26.
Drugs and alcohol will not be allowed inside the building, Andrew Cain said, and the building will be set up as communal living.
“One of the things we’ve heard in the last few years from the young adults is a need for community, a need for affordable living, and a need for our generation to invest back into them, and help them pursue their dreams,” Cain said. “As an educator by my profession, it just matches what I’m about.”