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: