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Mayor Durkan Announces New Efforts to Prepare for 2020 Census

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City of Seattle to Launch Census Assistance Centers 

As part of her 2020 State of the City address, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced the City’s new actions to prepare for the 2020 United States Census. The City will open a series of Census Assistance Centers and launch other focused education efforts to help ensure all Seattle communities can know their rights and be counted. By mid-March, every household in Seattle will receive a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau, inviting them to fill out their Census form online. With the president trying to undermine the Census at every turn, and with this being the first-ever online Census, the City is working to break down barriers that could prevent historically undercounted communities from completing their Census forms.

The U.S. Census only happens once every 10 years, and the consequences of having an incomplete count are not just statistical: Residents’ lives could be significantly impacted for an entire decade. A complete Census count would ensure Seattle receives its fair share of federal resources, as significant funding is at stake for other federal programs that Seattle families and communities rely on, including Head Start, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Medicare and Medicaid.

“As one of the fastest-growing cities in America, there’s a lot at stake for Seattle in this next Census. We know that everyone counts, and everyone needs to be counted, which is why we’re working to ensure our residents have the resources and information they need to participate in the 2020 Census,” said Mayor Durkan. “From fear surrounding the failed ‘citizenship question,’ to this being the first-ever online Census, there are significant barriers to a complete 2020 Census count. But our Census Assistance Centers, coupled with the efforts of our community partners, will help people participate in the Census, and ensure Seattle receives our fair share of federal resources.” 

The City of Seattle is deploying four key strategies to ensure a complete, safe Census count: 

  1. City staff at all Seattle Public Library (SPL) branches and all Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers will be prepared to answer questions about the 2020 Census;
  2. Starting March 12, every Seattle Public Library branch will have computers available for communities to fill out their Census form, regardless of whether they have library cards;
  3. On April 1, the Seattle Public Library will host Census Assistance Centers at the Lake City, Rainier Beach and Ballard branches; and 
  4. On April 15, community centers at Alki, Delridge, Garfield, High Point, Jefferson, Rainier, South Park, and Yesler will host Census Assistance Centers.

“Seattle is committed to using its resources and supporting community organizations and networks to ensure a full, fair, accurate, and informed census count,” said Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide).  “Through Census Assistance Centers, the City is changing the way it engages with our communities, and having conversations with our residents where they live, work, and rest. Full participation in the 2020 Census will ensure adequate funding for our City, and bring needed resources back to our historically undercounted communities. But the Census isn’t just about funding, it’s also about having a voice, being counted, and local resistance to this administration’s harmful policies.”

At Census Assistance Centers, community members can receive technical assistance when filling out their online Census form, get their questions answered about how Census information is used, and learn more about why the Census is important. A full list of Census Assistance Center times and locations is available at www.seattlecensus.org.

“As Seattle’s immigrant and refugee population continues to grow, it’s important that we are prepared for a fair and accurate 2020 Census count. The federal funding we receive as a result of the Census is critical to supporting the success and wellbeing of the communities that make up the fabric of our great city. I’m glad to see the City of Seattle open these assistance centers, which will help our communities, especially immigrant and refugee communities, get counted in the 2020 Census,” said Mahnaz Eshetu, Executive Director of ReWA.

“So many of our necessary community resources are determined by the Census, whether that be transportation, food access, health care or education. If we are not all counted, we will be competing for crumbs to support our families and communities,” said Michelle Merriweather, President and CEO at Urban league of Metropolitan Seattle. “There is also an impact on political representation. Who we vote for depends on legislative districts, which move every 10 years depending on how many people are counted. Our representation in Washington, D.C. is solely determined by the Census. If we want fair and equitable representation, we need to be counted.”

In addition to the Census Assistance Centers, every single staff member at The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers will be trained to answer questions related to Census 2020 and help communities complete their forms. And, starting March 12, every SPL branch in Seattle will have computers reserved exclusively for residents to fill out their Census questionnaire. Any community member can use these Census-reserved computers, regardless of whether they have an SPL card. 

“Seattle Department of Neighborhoods works every day to elevate community voices, and the 2020 Census is only of the most significant issues for Seattle communities,” said Andrés Mantilla, Director of the Department of Neighborhoods. “We are closely working with community-based organizations along with our ethnic media to ensure we are engaging all communities across Seattle and making it easier for them to participate in the Census. 

Throughout 2019, the City of Seattle partnered with community-based organizations to lay the groundwork for a complete and safe Census count. The Mayor regularly convened her Seattle Census Task Force to advise on pressing Census issues, including lack of federal funding, the citizenship question, and continued anti-immigrant policies being pursued by the president. The City was also a significant contributor to the Regional Census Fund, which allocated millions of dollars to community-based organizations throughout King County working to get a complete Census count. Finally, the City issued its first-ever Ethnic and Minority Media Fund to grant a total of $150,000 to local ethnic media so they could raise awareness about the importance of the Census. 

The City of Seattle’s fight for a fair, safe and complete Census count is part of our work as a Welcoming City. For more information on our Welcoming City policies, please visit this website: www.seattle.gov/welcoming. 

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New Commissioners Sought for Planning Commission

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The Seattle Planning Commission advises the Mayor, City Council, and City departments on citywide planning goals, policies, and plans and provide them with independent advice on land use, zoning, transportation and housing issues.

The Commission is also the steward of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the citywide vision for how Seattle grows. You can view our recent reports and other work on the Commission’s website.

Who are the Planning Commissioners?
The Commissioners are a 16 member Commission of neighbors that care about the future of our city. Commissioners have a broad range of skills and perspectives that include land use and transportation planning, community organizing, architecture and design, public health, low-income housing development, and community engagement. Commissioners are volunteers, serving without compensation for up to two terms of three years per term.

The Planning Commission is looking for diverse voices that bring to light issues facing all parts of the city and who can share professional and lived experience from across Seattle’s various communities. We are looking for applicants who:

  • bring a commitment to making Seattle a great place to live and have interest in, knowledge of, or professional experience in land use, zoning, or other aspects of planning
  • have a strong understanding of racial equity, and the impacts of racialized policies and practices in the field of planning
  • have a commitment to community-building and community engagement
  • understand transportation investments and how they impact the neighborhoods around them
  • can speak to the needs of affordable housing and/or understand what role affordability plays in the city
  • have a passion for communicating planning topics to a diverse audience

Applicants must be current resident of Seattle and be able to attend three Commission meetings per month, with occasional community meetings as needed.

How to Apply:
To be considered for appointment to the Commission, please send a letter of interest and resume by post or e-mail by February 28, 2020 addressed to:

Vanessa Murdock, Executive Director
Seattle Planning Commission
PO Box 94788
Seattle WA 98124-7088
Vanessa.Murdock@seattle.gov

Please consider including any voluntary personal information regarding your cultural background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability that might assist us in meeting the City’s goal to create diverse boards and commissions.

If you have questions, or would like to speak to current Commissioners about their role, please contact Vanessa Murdock, Executive Director at (206) 733-9271 or e-mail Vanessa.Murdock@seattle.gov.

For more information about the Seattle Planning Commission please visit http://www.seattle.gov/planningcommission.

The Commission will also host an open house event on February 13 if you’d like to speak with staff and current Commissioners.

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Mayor Durkan’s Affordable Middle-Income Housing Advisory Council Delivers Recommendations to Increase Housing Options throughout Seattle

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Three High-Impact Recommendations Identified to Promote Affordable Housing Choices for Workers Who Comprise the Majority of the City’s Workforce but Mostly Live Outside of City Limits

Weeks after announcing a record $110 million City of Seattle investment in low-income affordable housing development, Mayor Durkan’s Affordable Middle-Income Housing Advisory Council, delivered a suite of strategies that together, government, the private sector and community organizations can act on to increase housing options available to middle-income families and individuals. 

The new approaches, which will be considered by Mayor Durkan over the coming months, are suggested tools to help create more opportunities for homeownership, bring more housing online faster, and increase housing options in neighborhoods throughout the City. Too many of Seattle’s working families, including those who serve in our schools and hospitals, in our restaurants, as maintenance staff, and thousands who keep our small businesses running, struggle to find a place to live in our city that they can afford. 

“Seattle has become too expensive for most working families. We need more affordable housing if we want to remain a just, welcoming, and equitable city,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “We have a huge need and must take a range of actions to create more affordable housing. Without real solutions our communities experience negative climate impacts and increased traffic congestion as workers are forced to commute longer and longer distances while missing out on valuable family time. I’m incredibly thankful to the entire council, who met over the past year to explore new tools and find real solutions for Seattle’s working families.”  

Mayor Durkan convened the City’s first-ever Affordable Middle-Income Housing Advisory Council, comprised of experts from the housing development, labor, financing and legal community, in January 2019 to explore ways to fill the gap between market-rate housing and the housing needs of middle-income families. This week, the Advisory Council delivered a report containing nearly 40 recommendations, elevating three high-impact actions:  

  • Reduce costs of building housing by promoting partnerships with private sector investors and philanthropic dollars for innovative real estate financing. Many of our region’s employers are already committed to solving this problem to ensure the future of their workforce. The City should work with private and philanthropic partners to galvanize efforts, and to create innovative measures to address the housing challenges of middle-income workers.   
  • Advocating to the State to extend the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program beyond 12 years of affordability. MFTE is one of the City’s few tools to create low- and middle-income housing, with over 5,000 homes in market-rate buildings and another 1,600 in the pipeline to come online by 2022. Without action by the State legislature, nearly 1,200 of these units will revert to market-rate housing in the next five years.  
  • Reduce construction costs and bring new homes online as quickly as possible by reforming permitting practices. The City should commit to addressing permitting chokepoints and reducing conflicting direction from departments given to developers that drives up housing costs. 

“The Advisory Council remains committed to help with this effort. While our formal work ends with these recommendations, we will assist the City in its implementation by supporting necessary engagement and legislation for City actions to propel the work forward,” said Ezra Teshome, co-chair. 

“Many of these actions fall squarely within the City’s control. The City can streamline its permitting process and address regulatory barriers with the goal of creating more affordable and market-rate housing,” said Washington State Labor Council President and Advisory Council co-chair, Larry Brown  

Mayor Durkan recognizes that a surge of investments is needed to address the needs of middle-income employees who earn 60 to 120 percent Area Median Income (AMI), individuals with incomes between $46,500 and $93,000 and families of four between $66,400 and $132,850 – parallel to continued City investments towards very low- and low-income communities. Between 2011 and 2018, Seattle rents increased 57 percent, the sales price of a detached house increased 65 percent, and the sales price of a condominium increased 48 percent, driving working families out of the City. Employees in low- and middle-income occupations comprise 85 percent of Seattle’s workforce: more than 560,000 Seattle jobs are in occupations that pay less than $100,000 per year on average. 

“For many years, the City’s response to the broader housing affordability crisis has appropriately prioritized housing for low-income households and support for our neighbors experiencing homelessness,” said Advisory Council Co-chair and former Washington State Governor, Gary Locke. “Our work seeks to advance a third and critical objective, which is to support strategies that address the growing housing affordability needs for Seattle’s middle-income workforce.” 

In 1981, Seattle voters instituted the Seattle Housing Levy, making annual investments to provide affordable housing for residents who are homeless and low-income. Last month, Mayor Durkan announced a record $110 million in City funding, leveraged to more than $710 million with investments from regional and federal partners for new low-income affordable homes. Since December 2017, the City has leveraged nearly $1.5 billion in funding through the Housing Levy, Incentive Zoning and Mandatory Housing Affordability, and Real Estate Excise Tax to generate housing for individuals and families at or below 60 percent AMI. 

“The Advisory Council applied our collective expertise in housing development and investment to elevate strategies to help close the growing gap between housing produced and what middle-income families can afford,” said Ada Healey, Vulcan Real Estate and Advisory Council Co-chair 

The Office of Planning and Community Development issued their Housing Choices Public Engagement Summary  which includes survey results of housing needs sought by individuals who live and work in Seattle. Housing Choices was a benchmark used to help inform the Advisory Council in their pursuit for meaningful solutions.  

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City Seeks Designs for Backyard Cottages to be Pre-approved for Permits

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To help more residents own and rent detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs), the City is seeking submissions from architects, designers, and builders for plans that will be pre-approved for construction permits.  

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan directed City staff to select plans for pre-approval to make the process to design and permit DADUs — often called backyard cottages — faster, easier, cheaper, and more predictable. Homeowners choosing a pre-approved plan will pay reduced permit fees and get their permit faster — in 2-6 weeks rather than several months for sites that do not involve protected trees or environmentally critical areas.  

Architects and designers interested in submitting a plan should review the design criteria and requirements outlined in our new Pre-approved DADU Submission Guide. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) gathered input through a public survey and stakeholder conversations to inform the design criteria.  

Designers and builders must submit DADU designs by February 17, 2020, that fulfill the criteria and follow the submission requirements outlined in our Submission Guide. A selection committee will review submissions and identify 6-10 plans that SDCI permitting staff will pre-approve for compliance with certain structural codes. 

Pre-approved plans will be displayed in an online gallery with images, description, and information about the designer. Homeowners can browse the gallery, choose a design, and connect with its designer to proceed with the necessary steps to permit the DADU on their site. Builders must still acquire permits and inspections related to zoning, site preparation, utility connections, and other site-specific requirements. 

Considering submitting a design? The City will hold an information session on January 14, 2020, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 4050 of the Seattle Municipal Tower (700 5th Ave) where architects, designers, and builders can ask questions about the selection process, the design criteria, or how homeowners will use plans selected for pre-approval. All questions and answers from the session will be documented in writing and posted publicly online.  

For other questions or to be added to our project email list, contact DADUplans@seattle.gov.  

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City Life at Street Level

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Download the City Life at Street Level report.

Active street life — both day and night — is a defining feature of great cities. In City Life at Street Level, the City of Seattle describes and illustrates successful strategies that architects and designers have used to create sidewalk environments that support vibrant, safe and attractive street life.

As Seattle continues to grow and develop, it’s important to learn from what we have done well, and what we could do better, to create storefronts and pedestrian environments that provide great places to meet, interact, and pause. Successful design at the street level can improve livability, economic vitality, neighborhood character, and public safety.

Think of the last time you walked around Seattle and what made it memorable. Which streets did you choose to walk? What restaurants, shops, or art spaces drew you in from the sidewalk? Where and why did you choose to stop?

This year, urban designers at Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development researched street level frontages in Downtown neighborhoods to better understand which design qualities encourage public interaction and vibrant small businesses. They identified positive streetscape qualities that are universal no matter the scale of the building or storefront use: clear glass, welcoming entrances, canopies, lighting, outdoor seating, and detailing for pedestrian scale. Other qualities are more dependent on the activities inside and how they engage with the sidewalk.

Many people and processes impact good street level design. The City hopes this document will be a resource and guide for everyone—building owners and tenants, architects and designers, general public and agencies— for our collective work in shaping a city we all love.

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Census Ethnic and Minority Media Funding Opportunity

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As part of the City of Seattle’s plan for the 2020 Census, we recognize the critical role that ethnic media organizations play in engaging historically undercounted communities. Based on this fact and through community feedback, the City of Seattle will make grants available to these organizations to promote and publicize the 2020 Census. A total of $150,000 will be available with funds awarded up to $20,000.

Download the Request for Proposals (RFP) which outlines the criteria, eligibility, and timeline to apply for the grants. To learn more about this funding opportunity, there will be two informational Call-in sessions on Friday, December 6:

Call 1: Friday, December 6, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Dial: (206) 386-1200, 6370899#

Conference ID: 6370899

Call 2: Friday, December 6, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Dial: (206) 386-1200, 703483#

Conference ID: 703483

The deadline for submission is Monday, December 16. Applicants will be notified the first week of January.

If you have questions about the RFP or need technical assistance or in language, please contact Sunny Ysa at sunny.ysa@seattle.gov .

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Mayor Durkan Announces Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council to Help Develop Comprehensive Plan for Supporting Industrial and Maritime Jobs and Innovation

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Seattle Has Opportunity to Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for the Future of the Industrial and Maritime Sectors

Citywide Panel and Neighborhood-based Groups in Ballard, SODO, Interbay/Armory, and Georgetown/South Park to Advise Strategy

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the creation of the City’s Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council to develop a comprehensive strategy for supporting industrial and maritime jobs and innovation and planning for the next generation of Seattle’s Manufacturing Industrial Centers, which occupy about 11% of the City’s land, covering approximately 4,000 acres. 

The Council will bring together individuals with a diverse set of experiences and expertise including those with deep involvement in industrial and maritime economies, transportation, workforce development professionals, and community representatives. Their work will help advise on the City of Seattle’s development of a comprehensive strategy, preparing the City to act on a suite of possible legislative and policy changes. 

“Seattle’s industrial and maritime industries are at the heart of what has made our city a leader in global innovation and good-paying jobs. As we continue to build the city of the future, I am deeply committed to building an inclusive, resilient, and diverse local economy. We must make sure we have a full range of jobs and true economic opportunity,” said Mayor Durkan. “We are bringing community together to plan for the future of these sectors, how we can provide more family-wage jobs, and drive innovation in our maritime and industrial sectors and plan the future of our industrial lands.” 

Mayor Durkan is committed to further improving Seattle’s position as a gateway for global trade in the maritime and manufacturing sectors. The City’s existing policies establish strong protections for areas currently accommodating industrial and maritime uses; however, it’s been more than a decade since the City updated its industrial policies. Seattle has an opportunity to take advantage of technological advances and changes across the city landscape to build a comprehensive strategy that ensures innovation and industrial jobs continue to flourish throughout Seattle.  

The Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council will help plan for the future successes of these sectors with several guiding principles: 

  • Using the power of local workers and companies to chart a blueprint for the future
  • Strengthening and growing Seattle’s industrial and maritime sectors
  • Promoting equitable access to living-wage jobs through an inclusive economy and ladders of economic opportunity 
  • Improving the movement of people and goods to and within industrial zones and increase safety for all travel modes
  • Aligning Seattle’s industrial and maritime strategy with key climate and environmental protection goals
  • Developing a proactive land use policy agenda that harnesses growth and economic opportunities to ensure innovation and industrial jobs are a robust part of our future economy
  • Planning for the next generation of these lands as a key pillar for the Seattle of the future

“Industrial and maritime jobs have been fundamental to Seattle’s identity and they should be for our future, too. It’s time to check if our land use rules are ensuring that vision amid technology, environmental, and other changes. I’m excited to take on this forward-looking review and plan development with Mayor Durkan’s leadership,” said Sally Clark, UW director of regional and community relations and co-chair of the maritime council.

“Seattle’s industrial and maritime land fuels our local economy and creates thousands of family-wage, union jobs. As we look toward our future, preserving these lands will keep this door to the middle-class open for the next generation,” said Nicole Grant, MLK Labor Executive Secretary Treasurer and council co-chair.

Maritime and manufacturing activities in the City have long benefitted Seattle by contributing to the City’s identity, supporting living-wage jobs, and promoting economic diversity. From the cranes and container terminals that mark the Port of Seattle, to the warehouses and manufacturing facilities within the Duwamish Manufacturing Industrial Center, shipping, fishing, and manufacturing continue to support our economic success and are a critical source of living-wage jobs, which are one of the cornerstones of a thriving and livable city.  

The Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council groups will be tasked with developing recommendations to inform the strategy. Topics of discussion will include the best ways to take advantage of new opportunities, like the Port of Seattle’s plans to redevelop Terminal 46 as a cruise ship berth that will be capable of holding the world’s largest cruise ships; a proposal for creating a Stadium District with a mix of uses; Sound Transit’s development of new light rail stations in Ballard, Interbay, and SODO that will support transit-oriented development in the area; the State’s plans for the sale of the armory site in Interbay; new modern industrial development, and more.   

The Citywide Advisory Panel has representatives from the Port, Stadium Authority, Public Facilities District, and the Mariners; four from labor; four business interests; two experts in planning and land development; two transportation stakeholders; two workforce development professionals; two community representatives; and the Chair of the relevant City Council committee. Parentheticals denote representation on a neighborhood committee.

  • Sally Clark, University of Washington (co-chair)
  • Nicole Grant, MLK Labor (co-chair)
  • Brian Surratt, Alexandria Real Estate Equities (co-chair)
  • Sam Farrazaino, Georgetown Safety Task Force/Georgetown Strong (Georgetown/South Park) 
  • Dave Gering, Manufacturing Industrial Council of Seattle
  • Erin Goodman, SODO Business Improvement Area (SODO) 
  • Johan Hellman, BNSF Railway (Interbay/Armory) 
  • Alex Hudson, Transportation Choices Coalition
  • Rick Kolpa, Prologis 
  • Marie Kurose, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County 
  • Terri Mast, Inlandboatman’s Union (Interbay/Armory) 
  • Fred Mendoza, Public Stadium Authority (SODO) 
  • Barbara Nabors-Glass, Seattle Goodwill 
  • Peter Nitze, Nitze-Stagen 
  • John Persak, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (SODO) 
  • Fred Rivera, Seattle Mariners (SODO) 
  • Charles Royer, Public Facilities District (SODO)
  • Jordan Royer, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association 
  • Greg Smith, Urban Visions 
  • Rob Stack, Stack Industrial Properties 
  • Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck, Port of Seattle
  • Mike Stewart, Ballard Alliance Business Improvement Area (Ballard) 
  • Councilmember Abel Pacheco

In addition to the Citywide Advisory Panel, neighborhood-focused subgroups in Ballard, Interbay/Armory, SODO and Georgetown/South Park will assist in advising on local opportunities for the future of the industrial and maritime sectors, while also bringing forward the issues and needs of the neighborhoods most impacted by environmental and economic inequities.  

The Council held their first meeting this week. Strategy recommendations will be to delivered to Mayor Durkan in Spring 2020.

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Urban Innovations: How Are Cities Fighting Displacement?

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Urban Innovations flyer image with information about the event, with photos of each panel member.

Fast-growing cities continue to grapple with displacement of historically disadvantaged communities. Affordable housing, support for cultural organizations, funding for social service networks, and services for vulnerable small businesses all play a role in combating displacement. What unique local and national approaches are successfully responding to displacement pressures and supporting communities seeking to remain in place?

5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov 14
Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts St

Join the discussion with our guest panel:

Monica Bravo, West Side Community Organization, St. Paul
Gregory Davis, Rainier Beach Action Coalition, Seattle
Nicole Johnson, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Portland
Tony Lamb, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland
Chris Schildt, All-In Cities Anti-Displacement Policy Network, Oakland

Visit our Facebook event page here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1181116855423178

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City Launches Effort to Develop Pre-approved Plans for Accessory Dwelling Units

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Today, the Seattle Department of Constructions and Inspections (SDCI) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) together are launching a survey to help guide our effort to select designs for pre-approved plans for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Small, secondary homes located on the same lot as an existing residence, ADUs create more places to rent in neighborhoods where housing is often unaffordable and give homeowners flexibility to generate income, build wealth, and meet their changing household needs. Since 2010, Seattle has allowed detached ADUs (DADUs), often called backyard cottages or carriage houses, in our single-family zones. Yet only a small share of eligible lots have an ADU.

In recent years, we’ve been identifying the barriers that keep us from having more of this housing type. In July 2019, the City passed legislation eliminating many common regulatory barriers that discourage or prevent people from creating an ADU. Now, we’re addressing other challenges so that more people can own and rent these homes.

To simplify and streamline permitting, we’re working with architects, designers, and builders to develop pre-approved DADU construction plans that offer a faster, easier, and more predictable design and permitting process for Seattle residents. Homeowners choosing a pre-approved DADU plan pay a reduced permit fee and get their permit faster — in 2-6 weeks, compared to 4-8 months for a typical DADU permit. In certain situations, such as lots with protected trees or Environmentally Critical Areas (ECAs), the pre-approved DADU plan timeline could vary.

As a first step, we invite you to share your input on how we should choose DADU plans to pre-approve. Through October 21, take our survey to shape the criteria and design principles we will encourage in our selection. Later this fall, we’ll publish our selection criteria and announce a call for submissions. Selected plans will be reviewed, pre-approved, and displayed in an online gallery. To use a pre-approved plan, a homeowner pays a small royalty to the designer, who can help prepare the site plan necessary to get a construction permit. More details on this process are coming soon.

Want to learn more? On October 19, OPCD and other departments will be attending ADU Fair: Resources for creating accessory dwelling units, a free event at Southside Commons from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Come by to learn about ADUs, talk with staff, or even take our survey. You can also email us at DADUplans@seattle.gov, read our summary, and visit the SDCI website on ADUs.

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A Message From Our Director: 2020 Proposed Budget

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Dear Neighbors,

Today, Mayor Jenny Durkan is releasing her 2020 Proposed Budget. In the second year of the two-year budget biennium, this budget maintains core services while at the same time increasing investments in priorities like public safety, affordable housing, homelessness, transit and transportation safety, and opportunity and jobs for Seattle’s young people. Under the Mayor’s leadership, OPCD will continue to pursue our mission to lead collaborative planning, advance equitable development, and create great places.

We are pleased to announce that the Mayor is proposing to expand support for OPCD’s Equitable Development Initiative (EDI). As you may know, EDI provides funding to community-based organizations that initiate, develop and operate programs that support racial and social justice and respond to displacement pressures. When first launched in 2016, EDI was initially funded with $16 million from proceeds of the sale of surplus City property. Beginning 2019, EDI has a dedicated ongoing funding source of $5 million annually from Short-Term Rental Tax revenues (sometimes referred to as the AirBnB tax), as well as $430,000 in federal funding.

With the successful sale of the City-owned Mercer Megablock properties in South Lake Union, Mayor Durkan is proposing to dedicate an additional $15 million to a new EDI Site Acquisition Revolving Loan program to support our community partners’ anti-displacement work. Often these community-based organizations have creative ideas on how to combat residential, commercial, and cultural displacement, but lack the funds to acquire the land they need to realize their vision. This new loan program will help fill some of that need.

We are also looking ahead to crafting Seattle’s next Comprehensive Plan, our vision for how to shape the city’s growth in housing and jobs. The Mayor is proposing an additional $650,000 for community engagement and an environmental study of our evolving growth plan, including a fresh look at how new Sound Transit system expansion will help shape the future of Seattle. The next Comprehensive Plan, mandated by the state’s Growth Management Act, will require a multi-year public process and extensive review process. We must complete the new plan in 2023.

Finally, OPCD’s station-area planning efforts around the new Sound Transit light rail stations —one of the largest public works projects in Seattle’s history— will begin to move forward in earnest. The Mayor’s budget proposes additional resources to launch extensive community engagement and planning that will extend to neighborhoods across the city. This transformative work will be a collaboration between the City and residents who live and work near future light rail stations. Consistent with the City’s commitment to racial equity and social justice, there will be a focused effort to partner with communities of color and other underserved populations to ensure that the project and related efforts and investments help to create a more equitable city for all. Working together, we can develop a vision to meet our climate goals, create vibrant transit-oriented communities, and provide more housing choices close to light rail.

More information about details in the full budget can be found at www.seattle.gov/budget, and you can also direct any questions to jenny.durkan@seattle.gov.

Over the next two months, the City Council will review the Mayor’s the proposed budget. Final adoption of the budget is expected on Monday, Nov. 25.

Regards,

Sam Assefa, Director

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