The city of Seattle took advantage of a new state law to donate three underused parcels to affordable housing developers.
"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.
FULL STORY: Seattle donates three underused parcels to develop affordable housing
Seattle to Use Surplus Public Land for Affordable Housing
New municipal and state laws have made it possible for Seattle to sell excess land to affordable housing developers at below-market rates, or even to give it away.
Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum
Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.
Housing Measure Wins in Seattle Special Election
Voters approved a new tax that could bring in $50 million per year for social housing.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Tenant Advocates: Rent Gouging Rampant After LA Wildfires
The Rent Brigade says it's found evidence of thousands of likely instances of rent gouging. In some cases, the landlords accused of exploiting the fires had made campaign donations to those responsible for enforcement.
Seattle’s Upzoning Plan is Ambitious, Light on Details
The city passed a ‘bare-bones’ framework to comply with state housing laws that paves the way for more middle housing, but the debate over how and where to build is just getting started.
DOJ Seeks to End USDOT Affirmative Action Program
The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program encouraged contracting with minority- and women-owned businesses in the transportation sector, where these groups are vastly underrepresented.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada