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Seattle’s climb to 20k new affordable units moves forward with hearing on first proposals

“Top four facts about this affordability crisis” from the mayor’s HALA action plan (PDF)

As the first legislation to help Seattle build 20,000 units of affordable housing in the next decade moves forward, expect a lot of slow growth and “neighborhood” pushback — and maybe some urbanist and social justice support — at a public hearing Wednesday night:

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL
Select Committee on Housing Affordability Agenda September 9, 2015 – 5:30 PM
Special Meeting – Public Hearing
Council Chambers, City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue
The Select Committee on Housing Affordability will hold a public hearing on September 9, 2015, to solicit comments on the HALA Recommendations and two proposed Resolutions related to the HALA Recommendations.

Members of the public will have up to two minutes to address the Council. Groups with three or more people will be provided up to five minutes to address the Council.

And, yes, maybe a few people in the middle of all of that will show up, too.

Last week, Mayor Ed Murray and chair of the select committee Mike O’Brien unveiled the first two pieces of legislation addressing key affordability recommendations:

  • The first measure, known as mandatory inclusionary housing, would require all new multifamily buildings to make 5-8% of their units affordable to those making 60% of the area median income or require developers to pay into an affordable housing fund. In 2013, Seattle households at 60% AMI took in $40,487. The plan calls for affordability to be calculated at 30% of income, meaning affordable units would be rent restricted to around $1,000 a month.
  • The second measure, known as the commercial linkage fee, would require all new commercial development to pay $5-$17 per square foot into an affordable housing fund. The option to build additional floor area will be included to help builders offset the fee. Developers would also have the option of providing an equivalent amount of housing offsite.

Murray’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Committee released the “Grand Bargain” plan in July, including a call for developers to build affordable housing into new buildings or pay a fee to fund it. The HALA report included 65+ recommendations in all, ranging from up-zones to parking changes. Opposition to many of the affordability recommendations has been fiercest among groups seeking to slow Seattle’s current rapid pace of development. Murray already made an early concession to drop a proposal to allow for more density in single family home areas after pressure mounted against it.

Timelines from mayor’s HALA action plan

(Image: City of Seattle)

(Image: City of Seattle)

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rageofage
rageofage
8 years ago

The AMI figures for who qualifies for housing assistance are outdated and do not reflect the realities of the high cost of living in Seattle. Any single person earning less than $70K a year should receive assistance with rent on a sliding scale.