Equitable Development Initiative awards first round of funding

September 19, 2017 by Seattle OPCD

The Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) has announced $385,000 in grant awards in the first round of funding under the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), the City’s effort to help ensure Seattle’s existing residents and businesses in vulnerable communities enjoy the benefits of development around the city, rather than being displaced by it.

“The Equitable Development Initiative is about sustaining an inclusive Seattle, where everyone has a place to call home and a path to a positive future,” said Sam Assefa, Director of OPCD. “By fostering local leadership and local organizations, we can help create stronger, more resilient communities. We are excited to expand this program in the coming months to reach other areas of the city.”

EDI fosters community leadership and supports organizations to promote equitable access to housing, jobs, education, parks, cultural expression, healthy food and other community needs and amenities. The goal of the initiative is to reduce disparities and achieve equitable outcomes for historically marginalized communities.

EDI grants will be awarded to:

SCIDpda/Friends of Little Saigon — $235,000 for capacity-building and predevelopment expenses in support of the Little Saigon Landmark Project.
Multicultural Community Center — $75,000 for capacity-building efforts and to further the development of the Multicultural Community Center in the Rainier Valley.
Rainier Beach Action Coalition — $75,000 for capacity-building efforts and to further the development of the Rainier Beach Food Innovation District.

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Equitable Development Initiative Update

July 20, 2017 by Seattle OPCD

Seattle’s Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) has received its first round grant applications for projects identified in the Equitable Development Implementation Plan and the Financial Investment Strategy. Last year, Mayor Murray announced a $16 million fund that will support community-driven projects in Seattle’s neighborhoods where communities of color are at highest risk of displacement. The first round focuses on projects in the Central Area, Chinatown/International District, and Southeast Seattle.

We’ll announce our grant recipients later this summer and provide more information about the second round of funding that should start in the fall. We are also in the process of hiring additional staff to join the EDI team in addition to our SYEP summer interns.

For more information, visit our EDI website.

Loss of federal block grant would harm Seattle Equitable Development Initiative

March 20, 2017 by Seattle OPCD

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.

OPCD Charts Path for Equitable Development Initiative

February 10, 2017 by Seattle OPCD

The City of Seattle’s Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) is a set of strategies to address equity in our underserved communities and displacement as Seattle grows. Various EDI strategies will support the City’s efforts to:

Advance economic mobility and opportunity
Prevent residential, commercial and cultural displacement
Build on local cultural assets
Promote transportation mobility and connectivity
Develop healthy and safe neighborhoods

To support these goals, Mayor Ed Murray announced last October that the City will dedicate $16 million to establish a new EDI Fund. Several City departments are coordinating to support EDI communities and projects.

In November, Ubax Gardheere joined OPCD to manage the initiative. Ubax comes to us from Puget Sound Sage, and she brings experience in both policy development and community organizing around a diversity of issues.

Expect to hear more about the EDI Fund and decision-making processes soon.

Welcome Ubax Gardheere, Our New Equity Strategies Manager

December 2, 2016 by Seattle OPCD

We are pleased to announce the hiring of Ubax Gardheere as Equitable Strategies manager at OPCD. In this position, Ubax will be managing our Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) and its related work programs, providing internal policy leadership and fostering community partnerships.

EDI will provide support and funding for new economic development projects that lead to good jobs in under-served communities. Our vision is equity of opportunity for all of Seattle’s neighborhoods and communities, including those that aren’t currently benefiting from our strong economy. Recently, Mayor Ed Murray announced that the City of Seattle will dedicate $16 million to establish the Equitable Development Fund.

Ubax comes with extensive experience in community development, and addressing equity and social justice issues working with many Seattle communities of color. Ubax has been a program director with Puget Sound Sage, developing equitable land use policies such as affordable housing and transit oriented development, utilizing a race and social justice lens.

Ubax speaks English, Somali and Swahili and serves on the boards of African Diaspora of Washington and Social Justice Fund NW. She has a Bachelor’s in Management Information Systems from Washington State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Seattle University.

Welcome, Ubax!

Mayor Murray Directs Negotiation of Civic Square Deal, Spending of $16 Million Proceeds on Equitable Development

October 28, 2016 by Seattle OPCD

Mayor Ed Murray sent a mayoral directive to Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) to negotiate the sale of the Civic Square project to Bosa Development and direct the proceeds to establish a new Equitable Development Fund. The sale would also net $5.7 million in funds for affordable housing, meeting or exceeding the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program requirement. Combined, nearly $22 million from this sale will go to equity and affordability projects around the City.

“Seattle is growing and we are working to ensure that it happens in a way that is equitable, benefitting everyone who lives and works here,” said Mayor Murray. “The sale of the Civic Square property allows us to leverage our resources to invest in communities most at-risk for displacement and to make a major investment in affordable housing. While we continue to revitalize our downtown core, we are strategically investing around the city to strengthen our communities for the future.”

The Equitable Development Fund will be established with the $16 million in proceeds from the sale, and used as part of the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), which helps ensure Seattle’s existing residents and businesses also enjoy the benefits of development around the city, rather than being displaced by it. These funds will go to community-driven projects such as a cultural center for long-time residents to maintain neighborhood character or a job training program focused on good-paying jobs in the community.