Earlier this week, Seattle City Mayor Ed Murray and members of the City Council recently launched an effort to develop new policies to encourage more affordable housing in Seattle.
“Now that we’ve successfully increased Seattle’s minimum wage, housing affordability is the next major policy area we must tackle to close the income inequality gap, and we must act with as great a sense of urgency as we did with the minimum wage,” said Murray. “As the fastest growing city in America, too many low and middle-income families find it increasingly difficult to live and work in Seattle. It’s a complex problem, but we’ve got to address concerns about both the cost and availability of housing in our city.”
On Tuesday, Murray signed a City Council Resolution creating the Housing Affordability & Livability Advisory Committee, and announced the committee’s structure, membership and timeframe for action.
“City residents, community groups, employers and others are deeply concerned about rising rents, erosion of affordable housing, the impacts of the size and type of housing being built throughout Seattle, and the best way for the City to engage,” said Councilmember Sally J. Clark, sponsor of the resolution chartering the housing plan work. “It’s time that we, as a city, take a sharp and purposeful look at the entire spectrum of housing development and affordability and to plan for what we want.”
The twenty-eight member, stakeholder Advisory Committee is being co-chaired by Faith Li Pettis of Pacifica Law Group and philanthropic-sector leader David Wertheimer, and includes renters and homeowners, for-profit and non-profit developers and other local housing experts.
The Advisory Committee will seek to identify and evaluate policy options to create more available housing for people all along the income spectrum.
“Seattle already faces a housing affordability challenge, and the demand for housing will only increase as our economy grows,” said Pettis. “We need to move from defining the problem to action, embracing the realities and possibilities that our economy and our unique strengths as a community provide. I am excited and honored to be a part of this critical effort.”
The Advisory Committee will review every piece of the housing puzzle, including exploring innovative ideas to pilot new types of housing, the impact of accessory dwelling units, new efforts to preserve existing affordable housing, opportunities to stretch our valuable Housing Levy dollars using public-private partnerships, and more.
A steering committee will direct the Advisory Committee’s efforts, which will include three public meetings in November and December, and an online town hall.
The Advisory Committee will complete its work and issue its recommendations to Murray by May 30, 2015.
