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The Daily Plan It Blog

A OPCD Blog

In a Significant Step toward Creating A More Affordable Seattle, Mayor Durkan Signs Mandatory Housing Affordability into Law

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Joined by affordable housing advocates and other community members, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed into law the ordinance to implement Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in Seattle’s 27 urban villages and all other commercial and multifamily residential areas.

“Today, Seattle took another step toward more affordable housing choices and a more affordable, welcoming city for all,” said Mayor Durkan. “We need more affordable housing as quickly as possible because too many people are being priced out of our city. We want a city where people who work in Seattle can afford to live and raise a family in Seattle. This legislation is one way we can build a more affordable future for all. Even as we celebrate this step, we have a lot of work to do to make Seattle more affordable and build more affordable housing options. We must listen to community and continue our investments in our housing levy, renew the Multi-Family Tax Exemption program, invest in parks and green spaces, and continue to have critical investment from our state, regional, and federal partners. Working with community members, business, labor, and City Council, in 2019 we must double down on our commitment to building more affordable housing as quickly as possible.”

“MHA has been shaped by years of community input and engagement. For three years running, my days have been filled with discussing how to reach our goal of creating more units of housing in the next decade. As such, I view MHA as one of the primary strategies to create more affordable housing, as well as address the legacy of ‘redlining’.  And today’s vote is an exclamation point on our recognition of its impact on housing inequality for all Seattleites,” said Councilmember Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle)

On Monday, after more than a year of Council meetings and public hearings, the City Council unanimously approved implementing MHA’s affordable housing requirements citywide. The ordinance will generate an estimated 3,000 new affordable homes over 10 years, doubling the number of anticipated new affordable homes created through the 2017 implementation on new developments in the University District, Downtown, South Lake Union, Chinatown-International District, along 23rd Ave in the Central Area, and Uptown, helping the City to meet the 10-year goal of 6,000 new affordable homes generated by MHA.

Today over 45,000 Seattle households spend more than half of their income on housing. Under MHA, the cost of a rent-restricted two-bedroom apartment for a family of four earning $60,200 would be $1,353. For an individual making less than $42,150, a one-bedroom would cost $1,128.

[Read more…]

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City Selects I-5 Lid Feasibility Study Consultant Team

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The Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) has selected a consultant team led by WSP, a global engineering firm with extensive local experience, for a feasibility study to explore opportunities for further lidding Interstate 5 between Denny Way and Madison Street in downtown Seattle. The WSP team also includes the local and national firms of Shiels Obletz Johnsen, OJB Landscape Architecture, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, BergerABAM, Rule Seven, Framework, HR&A Advisors and Enviroissues.

The I-5 Lid Feasibility Study will evaluate potential lidding options through a range of technical, economic, financial and social equity analyses to help inform next step recommendations and an implementation strategy, including funding strategies as well as long-term operations. Funds for the $1.2 million study come from an $83 million public benefit package associated with the expansion of the Washington State Convention Center. A stakeholder committee will advise the City and the consultant team, and the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods will assist with additional community outreach. The study is anticipated to be complete by early 2020.

“While we rely on Interstate 5 as a primary transportation spine for our city and region, it comes at a cost. The feasibility study is a key next step toward creating new lids across I-5 that can help reconnect our neighborhoods, reduce air and noise pollution impacts, and create new opportunities for public space, housing and other uses in the most built-out part of Seattle,” said Sam Assefa, Director of OPCD, which is leading the study effort in collaboration with other key agencies, including the Seattle and Washington State Departments of Transportation. “We are excited to have such a well-qualified team leading this effort, and look forward to getting the process underway in the coming weeks.”

Additional information about the study process and scope can be found on Lid I-5 website.

For questions, contact OPCD’s Project Manager, Lyle Bicknell, lyle.bicknell@seattle.gov.

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To Create a More Affordable, Inclusive Seattle and Help Longtime Residents Remain in the City, Mayor Durkan Signs Executive Order Addressing Displacement

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Joined by community members and anti-displacement advocates at Hirabayashi Place in the Chinatown/International District, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed an Executive Order to help create a more affordable Seattle, combat residential displacement in neighborhoods across Seattle, and create more affordable low- and middle-income housing. Read the full Executive Order here.

“To help create a city of the future, we must work together to protect against gentrification and displacement and make it possible for families to stay in Seattle,” said Mayor Durkan. “As Seattle has grown, we have seen far too many communities of color pushed out of their homes in Rainier Beach, the Central District, Beacon Hill, and Chinatown-International District. With this Executive Order, we are refocusing our work on strategies to prevent displacement and gentrification. It begins with community, and we will continue our work together to develop a holistic response so we can make a more affordable future real for families across Seattle.”

The City has continued its commitment to increasing affordable housing across Seattle, including in neighborhoods at high risk of displacement, leveraging more than $710 million in total funding over the last two years. Overall, investments in affordable housing will create 3,600 new affordable homes by 2022. The City Council is expected to pass, and the City will continue implementation of Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA), an additional tool to create affordable housing over the next 10 years.*

While the City will continue its efforts to build more affordable housing, the Executive Order directs City departments to develop and implement strategies to further affordability and mitigate residential displacement, particularly in neighborhoods with communities at high risk of displacement. The Executive Order focuses on four key areas:

[Read more…]

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The Seattle Planning Commission Seeks New Commissioners

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The City of Seattle is looking for candidates to serve on the Seattle Planning Commission beginning in April 2019. Planning Commission members are appointed by the Mayor or the City Council and may serve up to two consecutive, three-year terms. Three positions will be open in April; two of which are City Council appointments, one of which is a Mayoral appointment. All appointments are subject to full City Council approval. The City is committed to promoting diversity in the City’s boards and commissions. Persons of color, women, persons with disabilities, and sexual minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. Commissioners must reside in Seattle and serve without compensation.

The commission members advise the Mayor, City Council, and City departments on citywide planning goals, policies, and plans and provide them with independent and objective advice on land use, zoning, transportation and housing issues.

For more information, view and download full details here.

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Seattle Planning Commission Releases “Neighborhoods for All” Report

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Planning Commission: Creating ‘Neighborhoods for All’
Changes to single-family zoning necessary for the city’s future, report concludes

Restoring the flexibility in housing types seen in Seattle’s historic residential neighborhoods is critical if the city is to achieve its goals of being a diverse, equitable and sustainable place to live, according to a new report from the Seattle Planning Commission.

In the report, Neighborhoods for All: Expanding housing opportunity in Seattle’s single-family zones, the commission highlights recent data showing the impacts of current regulations, and presents a set of strategies to allow a mix of housing types that can help neighborhoods retain characteristics of lower-density areas while welcoming a broader range of residents.

The report points out that Seattle’s current zoning map shows three times more single-family land than multifamily and mixed-use land combined. As a result, during this decade of record-breaking population growth, the vast majority of new residents were absorbed in areas zoned for multifamily dwellings, while  areas zoned for one house per lot showed little change, and some even lost population. At the same time, the look and feel of many areas zoned single-family are changing as modest houses are replaced by larger, more expensive ones: The average house size has increased by 1,000 square feet since 1900, the report notes.

“Our current approach to zoning has created a bifurcated city, where two-thirds of residential land is off limits to all but those with the highest incomes,” said Tim Parham, chair of the Planning Commission. “The fundamental goal of this report is to encourage a return to the mix of housing and development patterns found in many of Seattle’s older and most walkable neighborhoods, thereby giving more people a wider array of living options.”

[Read more…]

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New Commissioners Sought for the Seattle Design Commission

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Mayor Jenny Durkan is recruiting to fill three upcoming vacancies on the Seattle Design Commission. The open positions are:

  • A licensed architect
  • A transportation planner
  • A landscape architect

All positions will start their two-year terms in March 2019.

Established in 1968, the Seattle Design Commission advises the Mayor, Council, and City officials on design excellence in City funded capital improvement projects, projects in the City right-of-way, or projects constructed with City funds. You can see the scope of our work at www.seattle.gov/designcommission.

Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Commissioners are eligible for a second two-year term. The 10‐member commission is comprised of architects, artists, urban designers, urban planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, a member‐at‐large, and one member from Get Engaged, the YMCA Young Civic Leaders Program.

Commission meetings are the first and third Thursdays of each month and occur in the day. In addition, members may serve on commission subcommittees and represent the commission on other City boards or commissions. Commissioners work between 15-20 hours a month. During the term as a commissioner, and six months following the end of the term, commissioners may not contract with the city on any capital improvement project reviewed by the commission. Commission members receive an hourly rate as compensation for their service.

The City of Seattle is committed to promoting diversity in the city’s boards and commissions. Women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, young persons, senior citizens, persons of color, and immigrants are encouraged to apply. 

To be considered, please send a letter of interest and resume by November 30, 2018, to:

Mayor Durkan c/o:
Michael Jenkins, Executive Director
Seattle Design Commission

City of Seattle – Office of Planning and Community Development
600 4th Avenue, 5th Floor
PO Box 94788
Seattle, WA 98124‐7088

For more information:
Michael Jenkins, (206) 386-4024, michael.jenkins@seattle.gov.

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Equitable Development Initiative awards $5.5 million to community organizations

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Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and the City of Seattle announced $5.5 million in awards through the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), part of the City’s effort to support Seattle’s existing community members and businesses in high displacement risk neighborhoods.

“Seattle is facing an affordability crisis, which has displaced far too many and left behind many of our neighborhoods and businesses,” said Mayor Durkan, who visited the Ethiopian Community in Seattle earlier today. “To tackle these challenges, our City is investing in community organizations who are leading the way in creating true economic vitality and opportunity within Seattle’s most underserved communities.”

The EDI fund, administered by the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), was created to respond to the needs of marginalized populations, reduce disparities, and support access to opportunity in healthy, vibrant communities. The initiative is championed by community organizations concerned about displacement pressures and historical lack of investment that has occurred in communities of color in Seattle.

“Our values call for a Seattle that all communities can call home, and where all residents have access to a positive future,” said Sam Assefa, Director of OPCD. “The community-based organizations EDI invests in supports resiliency in vulnerable areas. Our aim is to improve racial equity and knock down institutional barriers to create a city in which everyone thrives.”

EDI fosters community leadership and supports organizations to promote equitable access to jobs, education and child care, outdoor space and recreation, cultural expression, healthy food, and other community needs and amenities. These new partnerships are designed to support leadership and build capacity building among the most historically marginalized groups in Seattle, sharing in decision-making and power, and working towards racial equity outcomes that allows all communities to thrive.

The following community-based organizations working in Seattle on anti-displacement strategies and economic development opportunities have been selected:

  • African Women Business Alliance — $75,000 for capacity building to explore a permanent home for the Alliance and to support economic development of women-owned businesses.
  • Africatown — $1,075,000 for capacity-building and development expenses to include affordable commercial space to the Midtown affordable housing project.
  • Chief Seattle Club — $925,000 for capacity-building, project development, and construction of affordable housing, healthcare, and art gallery space serving the American Indian/Alaska Native community.
  • Filipino Community of Seattle — $1,000,000 for capacity building, pre-development, and construction of senior housing, technical learning center, and community gathering space.
  • Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition — $75,000 for capacity building to support a multi-use project that includes affordable housing, childcare, and community space.
  • United Indians of All Tribes — $1,075,000 for capacity building and development of the Northwest Native Canoe Center on Lake Union and rehabilitation of Daybreak Star Center.
  • Refugee and Immigrant Family Center: $815,000 to prevent the displacement of an existing childcare center and community facility in West Seattle, serving primarily immigrant and refugee families.

Three additional applicants – Ethiopian Community in Seattle, West African Community Center, and Black and Tan Hall – have also been selected to support capacity building and project development needs. The three projects will receive funding from the remaining $460,000, with specific contract amounts for each project to be determined later.

[Read more…]

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Seattle Releases Environmental Justice and Equitable Development Plan for the Duwamish Valley

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Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan released the Duwamish Valley Action Plan, setting forth a series of actions and strategies to expand economic opportunity, make environment progress and increase investments in the South Park and Georgetown communities. The plan is the result of an 18-month process that engaged City staff, residents, workers, and businesses of the Duwamish Valley to create a framework that reflects their priorities. The plan will be used to guide the City’s work and investments for years to come.

“We are taking another important step together toward realizing the community’s vision of a more inclusive, equitable, and vibrant Duwamish Valley. As a City, we are standing together to say we will do more with a plan that brings together the community’s vision for economic opportunity and environmental progress with a plan for making it real,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “From the Duwamish River Opportunity Fund to the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps to the South Park Merchants Association to the Latino Community Fund, the City has committed partners in this effort to ensure real economic empowerment, public safety, and a healthier environment in the Duwamish Valley. In all our actions, we will strive to honor the special importance of healing and preserving the ecosystems on the land and in the waterways to the Native people, including the Duwamish Tribe, which gives the Valley its name.”

By applying an environmental justice and racial equity lens, the actions form an environmental justice, equitable development, and anti-displacement strategy that is focused on seven priority areas: Environment, Parks & Open Spaces, Community Capacity, Mobility & Transportation, Economic Opportunity & Jobs, Affordable Housing, and Public Safety. It includes:

  • 50 near-term (0-2 years) actions the City has already taken in South Park and Georgetown from 2016 through early 2018 to address community priorities, show responsiveness, and build trust;
  • 37 mid-term (2-5 years) opportunities, with specific strategies and actions, that the City will begin implementing in 2018; and
  • 5 long-term (5+ years) strategies with bold and ambitious goals related to Anti-Displacement, Workforce Development, Climate Change, Parks & Open Spaces, and Health.

 

In 2016 and 2017, the City invested approximately $500,000 in actions that advanced or addressed previously identified community priorities. For example, youth capacity building and training related to tree canopy enhancements; de-pave (removing asphalt) and tree planting in industrial areas; and capacity building for an emerging housing and anti-displacement coalition.

[Read more…]

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Seattle evaluates options to encourage backyard cottages, in-law apartments

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The City of Seattle continues to seek public input on the environmental review of options to encourage the development of more in-law apartments and backyard cottages that would allow for more rental housing in the city’s single-family zones.

The review evaluates a proposal advanced by Councilmember Mike O’Brien that aims to remove regulatory barriers and make it easier for property owners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Current City ordinances allow two types of ADUs: in-law apartments inside a single-family home and detached backyard cottages. Seattle homeowners have created 1,591 in-law apartments and 579 backyard cottages since first allowed in 1994 and 2010, respectively. Homeowners received permits to build 263 ADUs last year.

The potential policy changes analyzed through the environmental review process would increase rental housing options in areas where housing is unaffordable to most households. Since 2016, Seattle has been the city with the fastest growing single-family home prices in the nation, with the cost of the average single-family home now $820,000.

Under Seattle’s current zoning, approximately 7400 acres allow for multifamily, commercial, and mixed-use buildings, while 21,000 acres are zoned exclusively for single-family homes. There are roughly 135,000 lots in Seattle’s single-family zones.

Citywide, the rapid pace of construction in 2017 added 8,730 net new homes, most of which were apartments and townhomes. Last year, 88 percent of all new homes were built in Seattle’s urban villages. The number of detached single-family homes in Seattle remained essentially unchanged.

[Read more…]

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To Provide More Housing Options, Mayor Durkan Directs City of Seattle to Fast-Track Pre-Approved Designs for Backyard Cottages

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To accelerate the building of more housing units in Seattle, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan has directed the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to fast-track pre-approved designs for Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs), also known as backyard cottages. The City will hire architects to develop several standard architectural plans for backyard cottages that could be built and permitted more quickly and at a lower cost to residents.

“Seattle faces an affordability and housing crisis, and we are taking urgent action to increase the supply of rental housing options as quickly as possible. Too many people are being pushed out of this city or can’t find a place to live. We need to use every tool in our toolbox to boost the supply of housing. Fast-tracked designs for backyard cottages will allow us to get more housing online faster,” Mayor Durkan said. “We will continue to work on all fronts – from adding more shelter beds to innovative permanent housing options – to build a more affordable future for Seattle.”

Standardized, pre-approved plans will allow builders and residents to save time and money by streamlining the design process, reducing costs for architectural designs, and accelerating the permitting process led by SDCI. Lower barriers should incentivize more construction: Paired with efforts to remove regulatory barriers to backyard cottages, pre-approved designs could boost housing production in coming years.

[Read more…]

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