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‘We can build 1,000 homes’ — Sawant eyes $160M from blocked SPD precinct project for affordable housing

Kshama Sawant says blocking the bunker will pay off with $160 million for affordable housing in Seattle — if the city changes the way it uses Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) funding.

The Socialist District 3 representative rallied supporters Thursday at the Central District’s Washington Hall for a night to celebrate what Sawant says was a “historic victory” for “anti-racist and social justice activists” after Mayor Ed Murray’s announcement that the $160 million plan to build a new Seattle Police precinct headquarters in North Seattle was being pulled back for a racial equity review.

With the bunker blocked, at least temporarily, “we can build 1,000 homes” is the new rallying cry. Thursday, Sawant outlined a proposal for the City of Seattle to modify its policy for how it can utilize REET funding:

Recently, the Mayor and his staff have said that the City cannot allocate the $160 million in Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) funding that was previously attached to the development of a new North Police Precinct building on affordable housing. They’re wrong. On September 22, 2016, the Legislative Department’s Central Staff published a memo which explains, at length, how this funding could be used by the City to fund the development of affordable housing.

It goes on to describes various constraints on the uses of REET funding, and outlines an approach that would make REET funding available for affordable housing while satisfying those constraints. In short, it confirms that,

“the City could amend its financial policies to employ REET as a substitute for other more flexible funding sources and then use those flexible fund sources to pay for affordable housing.”

I encourage all concerned to read the memo, and then reach out to my office at [email protected] or 206-684-8016 to discuss how we can continue to build our movement to use this funding to build 1,000 affordable homes in Seattle.

“This is what elected officials are supposed to be doing: trying their very best to address the urgent needs of working people,” Sawant’s message concludes.

On Monday, the mayor will share details of his proposed 2016-2017 budget for the city.

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Jason
7 years ago

Even Timothy Harris’s “No New Pony” essay lambasting the bunker ( https://www.facebook.com/notes/timothy-harris/just-say-no-to-a-new-pony-for-police/10153731341395964 ) acknowledges that we need a new North Precinct building. The current one is barely functional and legally-compliant as it is. I’m ashamed by this continuing black-and-white posturing by my City Council representative. “We can’t do X because homelessness” is not productive rhetoric. We need a new North Precinct. We need to address the homelessness emergency. Let’s not put one against the other.

Yes!
Yes!
7 years ago
Reply to  Jason

Well said! Sawant’s dramatic posturing makes a point but is not terribly productive.
There’s no doubt a new north precinct is needed – let them value engineer it. I hope the broadbrush anti-police rhetoric of some of the protesters doesn’t lead to killing the project all together. That won’t help anyone.

RWK
RWK
7 years ago
Reply to  Jason

I agree completely. This is an “apples & oranges” argument by Sawant and her minions. The consensus seems to be that a new North Precinct is truly needed, and the only issue is how much to spend on it. Probably the price tag can be significantly reduced, and then the savings could be spent on much-needed affordable housing, if that is legally possible. But to totally cancel the project is not a good idea. I think Sawant’s proposal has more to do with her antipathy towards the police in general, and her desire to express that feeling in an attention-getting manner. She’s all about herself.

Del
Del
7 years ago
Reply to  Jason

We need a new north precinct. We do not need what would be the most expensive precinct building in the United States.

David Holmes
David Holmes
7 years ago

I wish she wouldn’t turn community meetings (and council meetings for that matter) into what often feel like political rallies. There’s this creepy vibe of frothy mouthed townspeople with pitchforks. It’s great to get people engaged, but these emotional maelstroms seem a bit mob-like. The far right and left are very similar in this regard.

We can afford a new police station and subsidized housing, these two vital needs aren’t mutually exclusive and shouldn’t be made to wage an artificial war.

Paul
Paul
7 years ago

She is a grand-stander who disrepects many of the people who would like to attend public meetings and dialog with their local government. If they are there to discuss as opposed to being there to shout down views that don’t tow the line with the Sawant crew’s vision of society then they are drowned out and denied representation with their city government. The problem such a low number of voter turnout in the last election and her base was able to elect her based on what? 15% of the eligible voters?

3rdEye
3rdEye
7 years ago

Someday the Sawant era will be over and it can’t come soon enough. I voted for her, but won’t be next time.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
7 years ago
Reply to  3rdEye

I was hoping that “someday” had already come in the last election. But alas, plenty of people had not yet tired of her shtick. It really does get old fast once you realize she’s a one-trick pony.

Kat
Kat
7 years ago

Each and every time this woman (Sawant) becomes involved in any issue, I find myself automatically tuning out and turning off.