A dismal future awaits another great Capitol Hill neighborhood as signs prohibiting parking are in full bloom along Boylston Avenue in the vicinity of the “Caroline W” site (431 Boylston Avenue E). The “Caroline W” is a micro-housing complex being built and supported with tax dollars (http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2012/12/19/new-grants-by-the-city-of-seattle-will.html?page=all).
The “Caroline W” is for troubled low-income residents of Seattle. It only has cramped micro-sized studios and almost no parking. It is tragic that the Seattle DPD green-lighted a project to pack the most vulnerable residents of Seattle into suffocatingly small housing units. Even if you believe the units are big enough for one person, they are not big enough for families.
Publicly supported projects have a higher standard to meet than privately supported projects. They must not discriminate against segments of the public in their use. The plans approved by the DPD – a presumed guardian of the public – are truly discriminatory because there is no way they can humanely house families.
Who is forcing people to live in these units? If people don’t think it’s sutiable for them, they won’t move in. The only definition of “humane housing” that should apply is that of the person signing the lease.
Low-income housing built with public funds must have units for broad classes of the public, including families. The fact that there are no units suitable for families means the building, by its very nature, excludes families and hence is discriminatory.
Must? Who says? The siutability of the occupancy should be determined by the tenant and the owner, by agreement. No other standard should apply.
Just as there are troubled, low income families, there are also troubled, low income single people. They are a minority, but they do exist.
That is very true (and well said). The building must be inclusive and have a mixture of units for a diverse population.
We stupidly keep voting to pay for these units. Capitol Hill houses more mentally unstable people than any neighborhood in the city and no one cares. We are the dumping ground for social services for the mentally ill.