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.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont