What’s Up with Affordable Housing in Seattle?SF Housing Action Coalition Regulatory Committee

Outline

• Seattle vs. San Francisco Stats• Seattle’s existing affordability programs• Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda• Discussion

Stats Seattle San Francisco

Density (people/acre) 12 27

Population (2015) 662,400 852,469

Jobs (2013) 502,000 610,000

Median HH income (2013) $67,100 $77,500

Median Asking Rent (9/2015) $1,650/mo. $3,530/mo.

Severely cost-burdened HHs 15 - 20% 31%

Housing Seattle San Francisco

Total Housing units 328,000 380,000

Percent Owner Occupied 48% 37%

Income-restricted Units 24,000 23,000

Rent Control Units 0 170,000

Percent Single-family Units 48% 32%

Land Area Zoned Single-family 65% 25%

Growth Seattle San Francisco

New Residents (2010 - 2015) 53,740 47,469

New jobs (2010 - 2013) 39,000 70,000

Rent Increase (2014 - 2015) 6% 15%

Projected HH Growth (2035) )70,000 101,000

Projected Job Growth (2035) 115,000 191,000

Production Seattle San Francisco

New Units (last 10 years) 46,011 21,817

New Units (last 5 years) 19,484 7,500

Constructed Units (2014) 7,548 3,500

Units in Pipeline (as of 2014) )46,755 30,000

Seattle San FranciscoHistoric Annual Affordable

Housing Unit Production 800 697

Mayor Murray Mayor Lee

50,000 units by 2025

20,000 affordable30,000 market

30,000 units by 2020

1/3 permanently affordable1/2 middle income

Housing Goals

.Seattle’s Existing Programs

Between 2000 and 2013 Seattle invested $247 million in 117

developments providing 6,140 units of affordable housing.

Housing Levy

• 7-year $145 million property tax levy• Producing about 400 units/yr• 60% AMI and below• Leverages other funds

Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE)

• 12-year property tax exemption• 20% of units income-restricted to 60-90% AMI• 5,000 units in 175 projects approved (1998 – 2014)• Currently producing ~600 units/year• Units are inclusionary!

Incentive Zoning

• Density bonus for provision of 80% AMI income-restricted units, or in-lieu fee

• Almost all projects chose fee ($15 – $22/sf)• Since 2001 generated $27 million resulting in

production of ~600 affordable units • 62% of projects opted not to take the bonus!

Seattle Housing Authority

• 5,300 housing units, primary 30% AMI and below• Administers 10,000 Section 8 vouchers• Since mid-1990s has undertaken four large-scale

Hope-VI mixed-income redevelopments

seattleinprogress.com

seattleinprogress.com

Seattle’s Response

• Council proposed linkage fees• Mayor launched Housing Affordability and

Livability Agenda (HALA)• 28-member stakeholder committee• 10-year goal: 30,000 market; 20,000 affordable• Committee worked for 10 months and released

the HALA Report in July

65 recommendations in four categories:

1. more resources for affordable housing

2. more housing3. more support for

communities4. more innovation

HALA Recommendations

• Strategy SF.2 - Allow for more variety of housing types, such as small lot dwellings, cottages, courtyard housing, duplexes and triplexes, in Single Family zones

“Seattle’s zoning has roots in racial and class exclusion and remains among the largest obstacles to realizing the City's goals for equity and affordability. In a city experiencing rapid growth and intense pressures on access to affordable housing, the historic level of Single Family zoning is no longer either realistic or sustainable.”

HALA “Grand Bargain”

• Mandatory developer fees on commercial• Mandatory inclusionary housing for

residential (5 – 7% of total units)• …in exchange for increased capacity• 60% AMI and below• Estimated 6,000 units in 10 years

HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzones

High-Rise Upzones

Commercial: 1 FAR

Residential:1000 sf/floor

HALA: Improve Existing Programs

• Double the Housing Levy in 2016 renewal• Multifamily Tax Exemption:• Expand target areas• Incentivize family-size units• Penalty for opt-out• Exemption for existing multifamily housing

HALA: Parking

• Off-street • Reduce multifamily requirements in more areas• Remove requirement for ADUs/DADUs• Remove requirement for single-family

HALA: Parking

• Off-street • Geographically expand multifamily reductions• Remove requirement for ADUs/DADUs• Remove requirement for single-family

• On-street • Create parking benefit districts• Improve the restricted parking zone program with

pricing and permit limits

HALA: Support for Communities

• City acquisition of existing affordable MF housing• Targeting of investments to support communities

with high risk of displacement, and to maximize access to opportunity

• Rental and operating subsidies for extremely low-income housing

• Tenant counseling, landlord education, fair access

HALA: Lots More!

• Expand urban centers/villages• Rezone single-family to multifamily in strategic locations• Modify codes to maximize economical wood frame construction• Raise thresholds for environmental review• Reform design review and historic review processes• Enact a Real Estate Excise Tax• Expand the State Housing Trust Fund• Dedicate property taxes derived from new construction to

affordable housing• Prioritize use of public property for affordable housing

via-architecture.com