On Monday April 10th, 2pm a vote is scheduled: don’t let developers get away with inclusion of only 2.1 percent of their units at affordable rents – support Herbold’s amendment raising it to 5%!

On Monday April 10th, 2pm the full City Council is scheduled to approve an upzone in South Lake Union and Downtown generating a multi-million dollar windfall for developers. Under the Mayor’s ‘HALA’ proposal however, the developers ‘mandatory housing obligation’ will only require them to set aside a handful of units at so called affordable rent levels – as low as 2.1 percent of the units they build or the equivalent in an ‘in-lieu of’ fee. Councilmember Herbold’s amendment would raise the requirement to 5% – still small but a substantial increase over the current proposal. This one change would ensure developers downtown and in SLU provided an additional 500 affordable units and another $40 million in ‘in-lieu of’ fees. The City’s own consultants show developers easily can meet the additional requirement while still walking away with a healthy return. Is it too much to ask that developers assume a greater share of the cost of replacing housing their projects remove and finding housing for those who are displaced and gentrified out of their homes to their projects?

If you are able to come to the Full Council meeting on the 10th, 2pm in Council Chambers and give public testimony, that would be great, too. But whatever you do, and do it now if you can….

Contact: Debra Juarez District 5 206-684-8805 and debora.juarez@seattle.gov Bruce Harrell District 2 206-684-8804 bruce.harrell@seattle.gov Sally Bagshaw, District 7 206-684-8801 sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov Mike O’Brien, District 6 206-884-8800 mike.obrien@seattle.gov Tim Burgess, Position 8 206-684-8806 tim.burgess@seattle.gov Lorena Gonzalez, Position 9 206-684-8802 lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov Lisa Herbold , District 1 206-684-8803 lisa.herbold@seattle.gov Kshama Sawant, District 3 206-684-8016 kshama.sawant@seattle.gov Rob Johnson, District 4 206-684-8808 rob.johnson@seattle.gov Council Website: http://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council

See CM Herbolds blog for more info: http://herbold.seattle.gov/downtownsouth-lake-union-mha-south-park-crime-and-public-safety-survey-harbor-ave-sw-and-sw-spokane-street-intersection-improvements-chief-sealth-high-school-walkway-improvements/ And this Seattle Fair Growth post for more background: https://seattlefairgrowth.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/downtown-developers-getting-a-pass-on-affordable-housing-requirements/