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… [ Keep reading ]
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… [ Keep reading ]
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… [ Keep reading ]
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… [ Keep reading ]
Understanding the University District Rezone
Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) is a new program to ensure that growth brings affordability. MHA will require new development to include affordable housing on site or make a contribution to a City fund for affordable housing. To put MHA requirements into effect, zoning changes will allow additional development capacity everywhere MHA… [ Keep reading ]
SEATTLE (Oct. 17, 2016) – Today, Mayor Murray and seven Councilmembers announced two proposed changes to implementation of the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program, aimed at increasing production and addressing the ongoing displacement occurring as Seattle grows rapidly. The MHA framework is a critical tool for achieving the goal of… [ Keep reading ]
On September 27, a joint meeting for all Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) focus groups was held at City Hall. Focus group members broke out into smaller groups to to discuss several draft zoning maps. These draft maps are based on Mandatory Housing Affordability principles. You can view the maps here…. [ Keep reading ]
“Uncle Bob” Santos, a longtime Seattle activist who advocated for civil rights and preservation of the Chinatown/International District, passed away on August 27. Dubbed the unofficial Mayor of the Chinatown/International District, Uncle Bob was the executive director of the International District Improvement Association (Inter*Im) from 1972-1989 and regional director of… [ Keep reading ]
In 2015, the Mayor challenged a Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) advisory committee to create a plan to generate a net increase of 50,000 units of housing – 20,000 units of affordable housing and 30,000 new units of market rate housing – over the next ten years. The committee… [ Keep reading ]
