SEQUIM — Betty Handly’s answering machine has been stuffed with messages lately.

She’s manager of Sequim’s largest, latest and least expensive housing development: the Elk Creek Apartments.

The 138-unit pastel-shaded complex visible from U.S. Highway 101 will be ready for tenants by mid-April, Handly said.

A banner broadcasting Handly’s phone number and the words “affordable housing” went up about two weeks ago on East Washington Street, near the complex at 90 S. Rhodefer Road.

Handly has received as many as a dozen calls a day from people hoping to qualify for a one-, two- or three-bedroom apartment.

“We’ve rented about 30 [units] and there are more in the works,” she said on Friday.

Elk Creek, a project valued at $13.1 million, will have a “cabana” community hall, two playgrounds and a “sport court,” Handly added.

Each apartment has a washer, dryer and storage unit on its deck.

To move in, tenants must earn no more than 60 percent of Clallam County’s 2007 median income.

They also must submit to criminal-background checks and scrutiny of their credit and rental histories.

“Any felony, even a juvenile felony, disqualifies them,” Handly said.

A less-than-perfect credit history doesn’t necessarily rule out a prospective renter, but an eviction will.

Income ceiling depends on the size of the household, so one person must earn no more than $22,280 a year to qualify for an Elk Creek apartment.

For a two-person household, such as a parent and child, that maximum is $25,560; for three people it’s $28,800, for a family of four it’s $31,980.

Rents, however, aren’t particularly cheap.

One-bedroom, 633-square-foot apartments start at $532 including basic utilities, while the 969-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath units will go for $634.

The three-bedroom units, at 1,106 square feet, will rent for $713.

Handly said she’s having no trouble finding people who are well within the income qualifications.

“They’re working at Costco, Wal-Mart, Home Depot,” she said.