Project ORBIT- Clean Energy Workforce Housing

PROJECT ORBIT 

Clean Energy Workforce Housing Demonstration
Mount Vernon, Washington

Project ORBIT, a Washington-based nonprofit is a clean energy–integrated, mixed-income housing development designed to demonstrate how residential communities can simultaneously address housing affordability, climate resilience, and long-term community stability. 

Located in Mount Vernon, Washington, the development consists of: 

• 39 middle-income single-family lots 
• A 36-unit multifamily building, including 12 permanently affordable units 
• Shared solar infrastructure integrated into community open space (Tract F) 
• EV-ready residential design 
• Transit-accessible planning 
• Long-term affordability and stewardship commitments 
• The project is fully entitled and construction-ready. 

The Challenge 

The Puget Sound region faces intersecting crises:


• Escalating housing costs displacing middle-income families

• Limited pathways to long-term affordability outside traditional subsidy models


       Increasing climate risk and grid vulnerability


• Rising infrastructure costs that discourage innovative community-scale clean energy



Traditional development models address these issues in isolation. Project ORBIT integrates them. 

The Innovation 

Project ORBIT functions as a replicable demonstration model for:


• Mixed-income community design

• Shared solar integrated into subdivision infrastructure

• Climate-forward residential planning at the neighborhood scale

• Blending private development capital with mission-aligned public and philanthropic investment



The shared solar array located within the community’s natural buffer (Tract F) reduces long-term energy costs while preserving open space. EV-ready infrastructure future-proofs the community. The multifamily component anchors affordability within a broader mixed-income ecosystem.



This is not simply a housing project — it is a scalable clean-energy neighborhood prototype. 

Why Philanthropic Partnership Matters 

Philanthropic participation would:


• Accelerate deployment of shared solar infrastructure

• Reduce long-term housing cost burdens for residents

• Demonstrate an alternative pathway for climate-aligned residential development

• Create a replicable template for other mid-sized Washington communities


Early catalytic support would allow Project ORBIT to integrate clean energy systems at full scale rather than in phased or reduced form. 

Current Status 

• Preliminary plat approved

• Infrastructure planning underway

• Permits in hand

• Construction timeline aligned for vertical development beginning Summer 2026

• Capital stack development in progress 

The Opportunity 

Project ORBIT represents a rare convergence:


• Construction-ready site

• Mixed-income affordability embedded in design

• Clean energy infrastructure planned at the neighborhood scale

• Strong potential for replication