About 150 low income housing units will come to the Highlands, after the Issaquah City Council voted on Monday night to move forward with the plan.

In a unanimous vote, the council voted in favor of giving the YWCA the rights to the parcel of land free of cost.

“It’s something the city should be very proud of — Port Blakely as well,” Council President Maureen McCarry said.

Port Blakely had previously given the rights to the city last year.

By giving the land free of cost, the city was able to recruit a developer who would build the housing for those in a lower income bracket. Originally, the city hoped to build low income housing for those making 80 percent of the median income. However, by offering the land for no cost the city could then have houses built for those in the 30 to 50 percent range, city planning consultant Brad Liljequist said.

The YWCA was chosen as the preferred builder for a low income housing development that will be built in what has been referred to as Block 9, a section of land near the Highlands Transit Center.

There were three groups who submitted proposals last June.

“The YWCA really shined,” Liljequist said. “They have a strong reputation and are really a class act.”

YWCA also received points for planning for not just housing but a campus to serve the community, Liljequist said.

The project, which has been named the YWCA Family Village at Issaquah, will feature 155 rental housing units as well as regional facilities for the YWCA, a 4,000-square-foot community services campus and a childcare center. All of this is dependent of funding, however — the YWCA must be able to come up with $10 million for the full project.

The YWCA board will meet sometime in the next two months to decide whether they want to accept the council’s offer and build the housing.

“For this point, we have to be quite confident we can raise the $10 million,” said Linda Hall, director of Housing Development for YWCA.

Hall said she doesn’t believe the issue will be debated.

Officials with the YWCA hope to move forward with the design leg of the project by the end of this year, break ground in the fall of 2009 and complete the project in 2011.

Five of the units will be for the homeless, many will be for families of four who make less than $23,000 per year and the rest will be for families who make under $39,000 a year.

There will be multiple buildings, referred to as stacked flats.

“It will be hotel-like, with interior corridors,” Hall said. “There will be three floors of residences on top of the first floor.”

The first floor is where services such as the community center will be located. The project also will include groups of six to 11 townhomes.

The goal is for the housing to be work force housing for key parts of the community, such as teachers and emergency responders.

“We would rather have them here in the community than having to commute,” Liljequist said.