Seattle has released the long-awaited environmental impact statement for the Mandatory Housing Affordability program—a final step in the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda process launched by former Mayor Ed Murray.
"The Seattle City Council will finally tackle the last remaining piece of legislation championed by former mayor Ed Murray: sweeping upzones," reports Hayat Norimine.
That news follows a momentous press conference held Thursday, November 9 in Seattle, where Mayor Tim Burgess and Councilmember Rob Johnson released the final environmental impact statement for the Mandatory Housing Affordability program and announced plans to implement the program citywide.
Norimine summarizes the Mandatory Housing Affordability program as follows, paraphrasing the mayor's statements:
The proposal allows taller buildings in exchange for new developments to either dedicate a percentage of new units to affordable housing or pay fees into an affordable housing fund—this time, in the city’s urban villages, multifamily, and commercial zones. It also covers only about 6 percent of single-family zones…
The city is predicting that the program will create 6,000 affordable housing units. The article includes more details about the political context the proposal will navigate over the next year in Seattle—the city elected Jenny Durkan to be the city's next mayor earlier in the week.
Brad Macz provides additional coverage of the press conference and the Mandatory Housing Affordability program.
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