Daily Plan It Office of Planning & Community Development

The Daily Plan It Blog

A OPCD Blog

Mayor Murray Unveils Affordable Housing Proposal for Chinatown-International District

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SEATTLE (April 14, 2017) – Mayor Ed Murray has sent legislation to City Council that will require new development in the Chinatown-International District to contribute to affordable housing, producing at least 150 new affordable homes over the next decade. The zoning change will implement the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda’s (HALA) Mandatory Housing Affordably (MHA) requirements.

Mayor Murray signs legislation to implement afforable housing requirements in the Chinatown-International District.

“Growth has brought thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in investments to Seattle,” said Mayor Murray. “But while we are the envy of many cities, we need to ensure this growth doesn’t push out the very communities that define our character. The Chinatown-International District is one these defining communities, where you can find dozens of languages, cultural amenities, transit, markets, and history all on the same street corner. By working with the community, and communities across the city, we are requiring developers to build or fund affordable housing for the first time, and helping to keep our neighborhoods places where anyone can live. Affordability is key to ensure that the Chinatown-International District remains the cultural landmark it is today and for generations to come.”

“The Yesler Community Collaborative is pleased to support the implementation of Mandatory Housing Affordability in the Chinatown-International District, Little Saigon and the Central Area,” said Doris Koo, a community leader and executive director of the Yesler Community Collaborative. “This step comes after the City’s responsiveness to our request that MHA requirements reflect the high risk of displacement our neighborhoods are experiencing. We urge Council to pass the legislation swiftly in support of inclusive developments in our communities.”

[Read more…]

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Preliminary Proposal for Uptown Urban Center

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PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL FOR UPTOWN URBAN CENTER

After more than three years of engaging community members in envisioning a vibrant future for the Uptown neighborhood, OPCD has issued a preliminary rezone recommendation. The proposal will result in an estimated 600 new affordable homes, neighborhood design standards that respond to community priorities, incentives for new arts and cultural spaces, improved connections to Seattle Center, and enhanced walkability in the Uptown Urban Center.

“Seattle continues to grow as our strong economy attracts new workers from across the country and around the world,” said OPCD Director Sam Assefa. “While we have done a great job of guiding that growth to our urban centers like Uptown, we have failed to grow affordably. We are implementing Mandatory Housing Affordability in Uptown, so that new development contributes to affordable housing options for low-income families.”

The proposal allows new building heights for many areas of the neighborhood already zoned for multi-family residential and mixed-use commercial buildings, providing much-needed capacity for market-rate and income-restricted housing within walking distance of South Lake Union, Belltown and Downtown. No zoning changes are proposed outside of the Uptown Urban Center or in single-family zones nearby. The iconic public views of the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline as seen from Kerry Park and other key view corridors are protected under the proposal. New development standards will support Green Streets with better connections to Seattle Center for a more walkable neighborhood.

Written public comment on the preliminary rezone recommendation can be submitted by writing to jim.holmes@seattle.gov.
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City Council Approves Mandatory Housing Affordability for Downtown and South Lake Union

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On Monday, the Seattle City Council approved legislation to implement Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in Downtown and South Lake Union. The new ordinance requires that new commercial or residential development in Seattle’s downtown urban centers contribute to affordable housing in exchange for increased development capacity. It is estimated that the MHA requirements for Downtown and South Lake Union would produce over 2,100 new affordable housing units over 10 years, more than one-third of all affordable housing produced by MHA citywide.

More information on the new ordinance is available here. This legislation is a key piece of the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA).

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Opinion: Allowing taller buildings downtown will relieve some of Seattle’s high housing costs

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Jon Scholes, CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association. Op-Ed originally published in the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Last month, the Downtown Seattle Association hosted our annual State of Downtown economic forum to review the state of our economy and Seattle’s fastest growing neighborhood.

It’s no secret. People and jobs are flocking here in record numbers – and developers are responding.

In 2016, $4.4 billion of commercial and residential construction was underway in our center city and 20,000 new jobs were added in just a single year. This record investment, along with associated taxes and fees, protects our region’s natural areas and funds important public services and infrastructure crucial to keeping Seattle livable and welcoming.

[Read more…]

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Downtown and South Lake Union Contribution to Housing Affordability

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The Seattle City Council is working on legislation to implement Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in Downtown and South Lake Union. The proposed ordinance would implement a requirement that new commercial or residential development contribute to affordable housing in exchange for increased development capacity. It is estimated that the MHA requirements for Downtown and South Lake Union would produce 2,100 new affordable housing units over 10 years.

The ordinance and a director’s report summarizing the final proposal are available here under the tab for Implementation in Downtown and South Lake Union. (The Chinatown/International District neighborhood will be addressed through separate legislation.) This legislation is a key piece of the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA).

Meeting schedules, agendas, and other Council documents are available at the PLUZ committee website.

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Seattle Design Commission Announces Excellence Awards

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This month, the Seattle Design Commission announced its biennial Design Excellence Awards. The awards highlight design excellence of City funded projects or projects that have an impact on the City and its public realm.

Four design excellence awards were given this year:

  • Mapes Creek – a joint Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Parks and Recreation project in Rainier Beach
  • Fire Station 20 – a new Fire Station developed by the City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administration and Seattle Fire Department in the Interbay neighborhoods
  • Bike Master Plan – developed by Seattle Department of Transportation, to advance the City’s commitment to bicycling for all citizens
  • University of Washington Light Rail Station – developed by Sound Transit

An honorable mention was also given to the Leaves of Remembrance project, a joint project with the Women’s Housing, Equality and Enhancement League (WHEEL) and the Homeless Remembrance Project.

The Commission is comprised of 10 professionals in the fields of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, Transportation, Landscape Architecture, Engineering and the Arts.

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Mayor Murray Signs U District Rezone Legislation

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Earlier this month, Mayor Ed Murray signed landmark legislation focusing growth and affordable housing in the University District. The mayor was joined by City Councilmembers, neighborhood advocates, and local business owners to celebrate the more than five years of community-driven conversation to help shape growth and public investments in the U District. The legislation was a key recommendation of the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda.

The ordinance will focus growth in the core of the neighborhood, near the UW Campus and the new light rail station which opens in 2021. This will put more homes and jobs within a short walk from frequent transit, revitalize the business district, and provide thousands more homes for our growing city. The City and neighborhood have worked together to create a shared vision – new and expanded parks, pedestrian safety improvements, support for the local business district, and more affordable housing. By directing growth to the core of the U District Urban Center, it reduces impacts to surrounding neighborhoods.

For the first time, Seattle is implementing Mandatory Housing Affordability. All new development in the U District will contribute to affordable housing – either by providing it on-site, or by making a payment to the Seattle Office of Housing. Over the next 20 years, the U District will generate between 600-900 new affordable homes for lower-income individuals and families. And the ordinance also includes other public benefits: historic preservation, childcare, public open space, and street improvements, as well as incentives for providing schools, performing arts spaces, and room for social service organizations.

Now the City and community will begin to create new neighborhood design guidelines to ensure that as the U District changes, the buildings and open spaces create a sense of place that reflects what residents love about the neighborhood. The first meeting will be held at tonight, 5 p.m. at the U Heights Center.

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One Center City to Address Transportation, Public Domain

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One Center City is creating a 20-year plan for how we move through, connect to, and experience Seattle’s Center City neighborhoods. It is a public/private partnership between the City of Seattle, King County, Sound Transit, the Downtown Seattle Association and a diverse group of community stakeholders from Seattle’s Downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods.

In addition to developing a coordinated vision for Downtown transportation, One Center City will explore new plans for the public realm – our streets, sidewalks, parks, plazas, and other rights of way. OPCD will be reviewing current incentives that promote the creation of privately managed spaces that are open to the public – places like the Waterfall Garden Park, King County Courthouse Plaza, and sidewalk cafes. These spaces are where we experience and move through the city, so they need to be accessible, safe, and enjoyable for all.

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City issues preliminary proposal to guide growth in Uptown Urban Center

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After more than three years of engaging community members in envisioning a vibrant future for the Uptown neighborhood, the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) today issued a preliminary rezone recommendation. The proposal will result in an estimated 600 new affordable homes, neighborhood design standards that respond to community priorities, incentives for new arts and cultural spaces, improved connections to Seattle Center, and enhanced walkability in the Uptown Urban Center.

“Seattle continues to grow as our strong economy attracts new workers from across the country and around the world,” said OPCD Director Sam Assefa. “While we have done a great job of guiding that growth to our urban centers like Uptown, we have failed to grow affordably. We are implementing Mandatory Housing Affordability in Uptown, so that new development contributes to affordable housing options for low-income families.”

Over 20 years, the upzone will result in an estimated 600 new income-restricted and rent-restricted homes for low-income residents through the City’s new Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program. Under MHA, Uptown development will be required to include between 7 percent and 10 percent affordable homes in each building, or contribute between $8.00 and $29.75 per square foot to the Seattle Office of Housing to support affordable housing, depending on the specific location in the neighborhood.

[Read more…]

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Loss of federal block grant would harm Seattle Equitable Development Initiative

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The proposed elimination of the Community Development Block Grant in the Trump Administration’s 2018 federal budget would harm Seattle’s effort to reduce the risk of residential, economic and cultural displacement across the city.

We have just launched our new Equitable Development Initiative to reduce the risk of displacement of current residents and to support access to economic opportunity in historically disadvantaged communities. The initiative will support community-based organizations, initially with capacity building and concept development, and eventually with capital investments to support new jobs, housing, and preservation of cultural institutions.

The City of Seattle has committed $16 million in local resources for this effort. Beginning in 2018, we are expecting to augment those funds with $430,000 of federal Community Development Block Grant funding annually on an ongoing basis. The loss of these federal funds would significantly limit the reach of the initiative and prevent significant ongoing actions to respond to economic and cultural displacement pressures in the Central Area, Rainier Beach, Chinatown-International District, and other at-risk neighborhoods throughout the city.

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