Mayor wants to reevaluate Seattle's affordable housing incentives
SEATTLE - With an increase in building permits and housing projects city-wide, Mayor Mike McGinn said now is the time to reevaluate what's worked and what needs to be worked on so Seattle remains a place where people of all ages and income levels want to live.
To help do that, McGinn shared his plan to create an advisory group to review the city's affordable housing incentive programs for new development during a press conference Friday morning.
"We will bring together members of the community to look at how we can best meet the growing demand for housing, bringing the public and the private sector to help provide affordability," McGinn said in a statement.
News of the advisory group comes as the city considers plans for a rezone in South Lake Union, which if approved would require developers to include affordable housing incentives in their plans.
The Mayor said he wants the advisory group to look at whether that contribution from developers should come in the form of dollars or by incorporating more affordable housing units into an actual project.
Downtown Seattle was the first neighborhood in the city to offer an incentive rezone in 2006. But, economic times have changed since then and it's time to review Seattle's affordable housing incentives, McGinn said.
The advisory group will be appointed by the mayor and his office, and will include community members, affordable housing providers, developers and staff from the Department of Planning and Development and Office of Housing.
The goal, within the next year, is for the group to provide strategic guidance to the city and the mayor on Seattle's affordable housing incentive programs and the renewal of the Multi-Family Tax Exemption.
The Mayor's Office plans to announce members of the advisory group in the next few weeks. McGinn said input from the group will help drive legislation and policies surrounding the future of affordable housing and development in Seattle.
Why is it whenever a city gentrifies a previously run down urban neighborhood, they spruce it up and get people to buy condos at inflated values, and then when that's milked for all it's worth, turn the neighborhood back into the projects? Â Â It's like they purposefully inflate the property values and then deflate them right down again.
The same thing is happening in Portland's Pearl District.  They built a 53 million dollar homeless shelter right next to $500,000 condos.  Who would want to shell out that kind of a money to live in a neighborhood where you are hobnobbing with junkies and getting your mail stolen?Â
He wants to "create an advisory group" to study this. Let me guess.....unemployed cousins and in laws need jobs?
I moved out of Seattle in 1977 partly because I didn't like the politics and the trends being set. It has only gotten worse over the last 35 years. I wouldn't move back inside the Seattle city limits on a bet.
@Furd Good move, Furd. As soon as I can retire,  I'm not only moving out of Seattle, I'm moving out of state!  Too expensive. Too gray.  Too much traffic.  Too many out-of-touch policies.  There are other cities with a better standard of living *and* fewer nutty elected officials (one can only hope for none!)
Mike McGinn is a freaking joke.Â
Looking at photo of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and he seems to have lost a lot of weight. Is the mayor undergoing cancer treatment again?
@BuddyHolly didn't realize he had been in cancer treatment
The affordable housing I was thinking of was when I and other homeowners in King Co., especially Seattle aren't getting taxed, tolled and taxed again!
Its only a matter of time and Seattle will vote in new clown same to replace the old clown..
I thought Seattle was broke? Why is he asking for more taxes and then proposing more spending? Can't wait until this moron's term is up.Â
Unless the development is in an area that already has a fair share of affordable housing, the affordable housing should be within the development and be real. Â Please, no more affordable housing units that are more pricey than the market rate units within the same complex. Â Affordable has to be real.
@joanna great observation, but sadly true
"McGinn shared his plan to create an advisory group to review the city's affordable housing incentive programs" Â Let me guess, he is going to hire some of his bicycle riding buddies to do this. Â Can't wait for this clown to get out of Seattle. Â