City Expands Affordable Housing Incentive Plan

Ruby de Luna
12/16/2008

The Seattle City Council has voted to expand an existing program to encourage new affordable housing in city neighborhoods. But as KUOW's Ruby de Luna reports, developers and housing advocates aren't completely happy with the expansion.

UNDER THE PLAN, DEVELOPERS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO BUILD HIGHER, TO ADD EXTRA FLOORS. IN RETURN, THEY MUST SET ASIDE SOME UNITS FOR MODERATE–INCOME DWELLERS, OR PEOPLE WHO MAKE ABOUT $43,000 A YEAR. HOUSING ADVOCATES SAY IT'S A MODEST START, BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE UNITS FOR PEOPLE WHO MAKE LESS. SALLY CLARK CHAIRS THE COUNCIL'S HOUSING COMMITTEE. SHE ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROGRAM'S NARROW FOCUS. BUT, SHE SAYS IT IS SIMPLY ONE OF MANY TOOLS TO ADDRESS A COMPLEX PROBLEM.

CLARK: "It is a tool that really looks at a particular stripe in the spectrum of income. It is not a tool that accomplishes everything, it is not the final answer in how to provide affordable housing; it is one modest answer."

THE PROGRAM IS ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY. IT STEMS FROM A 2006 PROGRAM THAT PROVIDED SIMILAR INCENTIVES FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT IN DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOODS. HOUSING OFFICIALS SAY IT'S STILL TOO EARLY TO SAY HOW MANY AFFORDABLE UNITS WERE ACTUALLY PRODUCED. JON SCHOLES IS POLICY DIRECTOR OF THE DOWNTOWN SEATTLE ASSOCIATION. HE SAYS THEY SUPPORT THE CITY'S GOAL OF CREATING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. BUT HE QUESTIONS THE POLICY'S TIMING.

SCHOLES: "There's just no proof that it's going to work at the level the city council adopted it. Even in good times we don't want to see untested burdens placed on affordable housing and development in general and these are certainly not good economic times that we're seeing in the city."

THE CITY IS EXPECTED TO REVIEW THE ISSUE IN 2010 TO SEE IF THE LENDING MARKETS HAVE TURNED AROUND, AND TO FIND OUT HOW MANY DEVELOPERS DECIDE TO USE THE EXPANDED INCENTIVE PLAN. I'M RUBY DE LUNA, KUOW NEWS.

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