By Jack Stubbs
On Tuesday, January 29th, an assisted living apartment complex in the King County city of Auburn, Washington sold for $38.1 million, public documents filed with King County show. Both the buyer and seller of the property share the same address as Merrill Gardens, a Seattle-based company that owns and operates senior living communities with a focus on residents and team members.
Merrill Gardens did not respond to calls for comment about the sale of the Auburn property in time for the publishing of this story.
The Merrill Gardens property in Auburn, located at 18 1st St. SE, is a three-story, property constructed in 2015 that contains 12 units, according to public documents. The average unit size is 402 square feet. According to the description on Merrill Gardens’ web site, one of the primary benefits of Merrill Gardens at Auburn is the flexibility that the property provides.
“Our community creates inviting environments for residents and family members. We provide spacious, well-appointed common spaces and we offer apartments with a choice of floor plans,” it states. “While you live at Merrill Gardens, you may find that your needs change over time…We are there to provide the help you may need, within the comfort of our community. Merrill Gardens at Auburn offers an array of lifestyle choices. We offer several levels of service and we customize each resident’s service plan to meet their individual care needs.”
The property is located in the heart of downtown Auburn just a few blocks from the transit center and City Hall, with various shopping and dining options located in close proximity. The property is roughly fourteen miles south of Sea-Tac Airport via Washington State Route 167 and twelve miles south of Renton. Merrill Gardens is also just six miles east of Federal Way.
Merrill Gardens started with one community in Seattle in 1993 and now has thousands of team members across the country, with 33 communities in eight states offering independent living, assisted living and memory care, according to the company’s web site.
Still privately-owned and family-run, Merrill Gardens is built on a strong foundation of family, community and entrepreneurial spirit, and maintains a particular focus on its residents. The company has eight new communities in development. Merrill Gardens has eight communities throughout the Puget Sound region, with properties in Burien, Kirkland, Renton, Seattle and Tacoma.
