Tag Archives: rent

Will Seattle’s quest for affordable housing take same path as $15 minimum wage?

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Monday's release of the Community Housing Caucus report. These folks will have to speak up -- even more -- to shape Seattle's affordability plan (Image: Alex Garland)

Monday’s release of the Community Housing Caucus report. These folks will have to speak up — even more — to shape Seattle’s affordability plan (Image: Alex Garland)

Mayor Ed Murray says don’t give up on being able to afford a place to live in Seattle and on Capitol Hill. You don’t have to move to Tacoma.

“I don’t think we’ve lost this moment, yet,” Murray said Monday before the process to create an affordable housing plan for Seattle took another step forward that afternoon with the release of a set of recommendations from the Community Housing Caucus, a group of low income housing advocates and legislative wonks. Monday’s report followed a 14-point set of recommendations (posted by the Seattle Times) sent by the developer-focused Coalition for Housing Solutions to Murray’s office earlier this month.

Get ready for some to call it another mess of “Seattle process.” But Murray says his directive to forge an affordable housing plan for Seattle by May 2015 is taking the same route that he charted to change the city’s minimum wage law last year.

If so, it will be interesting to see which of the more radical planks presented by the Caucus Monday will ultimately make it into the recommendations due to Murray in May from his Housing Affordability and Livability Advisory Committee.

Here is a look at 10 of the multitude of ideas presented at the conference sponsored by City Council members Nick Licata and $15/hour champion councilor and District 3 candidate Kshama Sawant. The full report is embedded at the end of this post:

  1. Housing Bond Program: The City of Seattle should issue at least $500 million in long term bonds; staying within the current bond cap for low income housing and housing for homeless families and individuals, at 0-30% and 30%-50% of the area median income. The bonds can be issued in increments over multiple years and take advantage of low interest rates. The housing will be built on city-owned land and private property acquired by nonprofits. Continue reading →

New tenant protection bills include background screening relief, 90-day rent hike notice

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Washington legislators introduced four bills this week intended to help renters deal with the spiraling costs and increasing challenges of being a tenant in the state’s current housing market, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance announced.

CHS highlighted 43rd District Rep. Brady Walkinshaw’s plan for one of the bills as we looked ahead at the 2015 session in Olympia. Walkinshaw’s bill would ensure renters only pay an application fee once by requiring landlords to accept a submitted background screening as long as it was prepared within 30 days of the application date. Landlords may choose to do their own background screening, but if one is already provided to them they cannot pass that fee onto prospective tenants.

A second bill introduced by the Democrats would outlaw “discrimination in housing based on a renter’s participation in a government assistance program,” the announcement said. Many rental ads now list “not accepting Section 8,” referring to those receiving assistance with their rent, the announcement noted.

Meanwhile, the third bill is designed to ensure better accuracy in evictions reporting.

The fourth bill would be hugely significant to many Seattle renters as the demand for apartments has sparked continuing rent hikes. Sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the legislation would shift the required notice for rent increases from 30 days to 90 days. The bill would also provide tenant relocation assistance to a broader base of renters. Kohl-Welles introduced the same bill last year only to see it fail. With another year of climbing rents, it could be time to give renters more time to keep up with the rise.

Planners: Capitol Hill has room for 71% more residential units

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Above, a 1906-built house on Malden Ave E awaits the start of its move a few dozen yards to make space for a new townhouse project

Under current zoning, Urban Centers like parts of Capitol Hill, have lots of room for growth, city planners say (Source: City of Seattle Development Capacity Report)

Under current zoning, Urban Centers like parts of Capitol Hill, have lots of room for growth, city planners say (Source: City of Seattle Development Capacity Report)

Think Capitol Hill is a densely populated, bustling urban neighborhood? Just wait.

The Department of Planning and Development earlier this month released a revised Development Capacity Report as part of its every 10-year review of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The full report is embedded at the bottom of this post.

According to the report’s estimates, under current zoning, Capitol Hill could add more than 19,000 residential units to its existing 26,600, an increase of about 71%. In the report, Capitol Hill includes the sub-areas of Capitol Hill, Pike/Pine, First Hill and 12th Ave.

The commercial side could see an increase of more than 950,000 square feet of space, in addition to the existing 11.9 million square feet. This would translate into enough space for about 3,200 more jobs, above the current 40,100, an increase of almost 8%.

The forecasts and estimates will play a big role as Seattle sets about updating its next 20-year plan by mid-2015. In the meantime, rents in Seattle are rising faster than in any other major U.S. city — and, as any renter was probably sad to read on CHS, they’re rising even faster on Capitol Hill.

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Seattle rents rising faster than in any other major U.S. city — even faster on Capitol Hill

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Numbers from the Census Bureau are about as official as it gets for calculating nationwide trends. So call it official: Seattle’s rent is the 10th highest in the U.S. and its rising faster than any other major city.

According to data released by the Census Bureau this month, median rents in Seattle reached $1,172 in 2013 — an 11% increase from 2010. Seattle surpassed Long Beach, CA and Oakland, CA in its rise to the top 10.

The Seattle Times wrote about it here, but buried one important stat: the renter population actually outpaced the rent increases as the city added 13% more renters in the same time period. In 2013 some 307,000 people were renting in Seattle.

On Capitol Hill rents are rising faster.

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Booming rental market has kept phones ringing at Tenants Union — Plenty of calls from Capitol Hill

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The Whitworth Apartments, where some rents rose 20% last year (Image: Cadence Real Estate)

The Whitworth Apartments, where some rents rose 20% last year (Image: Cadence Real Estate)

As rents on Capitol Hill continue to rise at breakneck rates, so are complaints of landlords trying to displace the residents paying those rents. Jonathan Grant, executive director of the Tenants Union, told CHS that calls about rent increases have become the top issue on the organization’s tenant’s rights hotline.

“In the last three years we’ve seen rising rents and displacement becoming the number one issue in Seattle,” he said.
Continue reading →

Velocity dances through rent hike to keep Capitol Hill a hub for original choreography

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Velocity had lots of help for its 2010 moving party/parade (Image: CHS)

Velocity had lots of help for its 2010 moving party/parade (Image: CHS)

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Anna Conner’s show Colony will feature dancers wearing masks made out of flowers. (Photo: Anna Conner)

This weekend, Velocity Dance Center will kick off a slate of performances that show why the city’s true community dance center is an asset worth making space for on Capitol Hill.

On Friday the studio will feature performances from choreographers from its 14th annual The Bridge Project, which provides space and a small amount of funding for four emerging  choreographers to develop a performance in four weeks. Anna Conner, a 2009 Cornish graduate, will be joining five dancers to perform her piece, Colony.

“There aren’t many places that give you time and space and dancers on top of that,” Conner said of the intensive three week program. “It challenges and pushes you to keep working, you have to work, it’s just non-stop.”

Colony will touch on a theme sometimes all too familiar here in the big city: the loss of human kindness in society. “It’s how we always push each other away … Colony is dark, about staying in your own group,” Conner said.

While artists continue to thrive under Velocity’s wing, the dance center itself has struggled to meet a booming demand for space and performances in the city. Velocity’s executive and artistic director Tonya Lockyer came into her role during a time when Velocity was challenged by the opportunity to grow. Continue reading →

City considers curbing building heights in response to outcry from neighborhood groups

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The micro-housing building at 1720 E Olive St. is the type of structure the city will seek to prevent in lowrise zones (Image: City of Seattle)

The microhousing at 1720 E Olive St. is the type of structure the city is seeking to prevent in lowrise zones (Image: City of Seattle)

A group of neighborhood activists organizing against taller building appear to have landed a major victory despite a year of rising demand for housing on Capitol Hill — and rising rents.

Following a petition and flyer campaign, Council member Sally Clark has called for the City of Seattle to consider lowering building heights in areas zoned for lowrise townhouses and apartments.

The code correction would specifically target Lowrise 3 multi-family zones which includes most of the lowrise areas in Capitol Hill. “There is a sense that these new generation buildings have more height than necessary,” said city planner Geoff Wentlandt.

The Department of Planning and Development will hold a public meeting January 14th at 6:30 PM at Lowell Elementary to get public feedback on lowering the height limits. You can also provide feedback via email.

Continue reading →

Rent control debate surfaces as rents in Capitol Hill continue to rise

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I don’t., originally uploaded by Deviation Obligatoire.

Rents in Capitol Hill are among the highest in the Seattle, and they don’t appear to be falling anytime soon. The average rent for a Capitol Hill/Eastlake apartment in September was $1,278, according to analysis from local real estate experts Dupre+Scott. Of course that number includes “efficiency” units and gets significantly higher as you add bedrooms and a private bathroom.

Picture 9

(Source: Dupre+Scott)

The trend has pushed affordability to the forefront in this year’s local election. City council candidate Kshama Sawant has made rent control one of the cornerstones of her campaign.

“Market rate housing is becoming increasingly expensive, in keeping with a minority of higher-salary people moving into the city,” she wrote in an email to CHS. “Low-income and middle-income people are being forced to move out into the farther reaches of the city or outside city limits, and have to commute long distances for their city jobs.”

But is rent control in Seattle possible? Sawant says a mass push at the city level could spark a debate in the state legislature to repeal the statewide ban. Others aren’t as sure. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill rent hikes in old *and* new buildings follow citywide trends

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The Whitworth Apartments (Image: Cadence Real Estate)

The Whitworth Apartments (Image: Cadence Real Estate)

There’s no avoiding it: big rent increases at are a fact of life for Capitol Hill renters. As rents in Seattle continue to outpace other cities, CHS has recently heard from renters on the Hill about their big hikes in new and old buildings.

Rent hikes at the Whitworth Apartments at 16th and John have caused several residents to leave, according to one tenant who wished to remain anonymous. She tells CHS her new lease included a 20% monthly rent hike, from $1,395 to $1,675. Whitworth manager Chris Garvin said the increases, which he said were mostly around 5-8%, are reflective of a high demand/low supply rental market in Capitol Hill. Garvin confirmed six Whitworth tenants moved out last month, for various reasons, and their apartments were filled within a week.

“Three years ago we had to have a huge carrot to get people in the building … Tenants were in control in prime recession time,” he said.

Today, Garvin said big rent hikes are necessary to keep up with market rates and increasing property taxes on the 53-unit building. According to Garvin, a 750 square-foot apartment at the Whitworth would rent in the $1,600-$1,700 range, which he said is still slightly below market rates. Currently the Whitworth has no open apartments.

A tenant living at the Lyric recently contacted CHS about a 15% increase at his 10th and John studio after his 12-month lease was up. Asher Cobin, a software developer, said he is currently renting a studio for $1,350, but when it came time to re-up found the rent would increase to $1,550. The Lyric is a CHS advertiser.

“I’m staying because it’s a great place and has great property management. No complaints,” he wrote in an email. “Yeah the increase sucks still though.”

The Lyric is currently listing a 491 square-foot studio on Craigslist for $1,557/month.

In July, CHS reported on soaring rents and occupancy rates in Capitol Hill, with rents rising 8.2% since April to $1,395 per unit and vacancies dipping below 3%.  Vacancies in King County have also decreased with 4.4% of units vacant, down from 4.8% a year ago.

Rents in Seattle are actually skyrocketing faster than any other major metropolitan area in the U.S., according to commercial real estate research firm Reis. The New York-based firm found rents have gone up an average of 6% over the past 12 months.

As the renters that contacted CHS found, the numbers are much more drastic in Capitol Hill — the Reis report included all of King County and parts of Snohomish County, according to the Seattle Times.

With a slew of new apartments coming online next year, Garvin said he expects rents in older buildings to level out.

Look inside latest apartment building to hit Capitol Hill rental market, get a sneak peek at the next

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"$1550 / 1br - 555ft² - Leave Traffic Behind. Live Here. Walk Everywhere. (Capitol Hill)" -- says the ad

“$1550 / 1br – 555ft² – Leave Traffic Behind. Live Here. Walk Everywhere. (Capitol Hill)” — says the ad

Eventually, those big cranes towering above Capitol Hill will produce buildings. And people will live inside. The most recent fruition of this particular Capitol Hill circle of life has taken place down near Melrose where the Pine + Minor apartments building now rises. CHS noted the building’s color earlier this summer.

The dedicated real estate bloggers at urbnlivn.com went inside:

The blogger like the mailroom (Image: Urbanlivn)

The blogger liked the mailroom (Image: Urbanlivn)

While the style and location (right next to the foodie paradise that is Melrose Market) are top-notch, this LEED Platinum certified project is not for everybody. For one thing, the 120 units start out at 385 square feet and max out at 655. If you want the largest apartment with one of the limited parking spaces and you have a pet or need extra storage, you will have to pay more than $2,300 a month. That’s $2,300 a month for 655 sq ft.

Even at those lofty rates, Urbanlivn said the project was more than half-leased by late August. Continue reading →