Three Parcels Donated for Affordable Housing Development by the City of Seattle

The city of Seattle took advantage of a new state law to donate three underused parcels to affordable housing developers.

1 minute read

September 10, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Seattle is transferring three parcels of surplus city land to nonprofit developers at no cost, becoming the first city to take advantage of a state program [pdf] to make underutilized public land available for affordable housing development," reports Katherine Kashimova.

Nonprofit developer Homestead Community Land Trust will develop 16 townhomes on a parcel in Judkins Park, including ten affordable townhomes.

"The transfer of two other pieces of land owned by City Light – one in Phinney Ridge and another in Loyal Heights – is expected to be approved by the City Council in the coming days. Those will go to Homestead and to Habitat for Humanity to build 27 affordable condominiums and townhomes for qualifying low- and middle-income families," reports Kashimova.

The city most recently completed a land inventory in March 2019 [pdf], identifying "dozens of large pieces of underused or vacant city-owned land potentially suitable for housing development," so there could be more such land deals and affordable housing development plans in the future.

Thursday, September 5, 2019 in The Seattle Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Holland Tunnel, vehicular tunnel under Hudson River that connects New York City neighborhood of SoHo in Lower Manhattan to east with Jersey City in New Jersey.

Congestion Pricing Drops Holland Tunnel Delays by 65 Percent

New York City’s contentious tolling program has yielded improved traffic and roughly $100 million in revenue for the MTA.

45 minutes ago - Curbed

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab