Seattle looking to build taller houses

KnewsN 06/04/2018 12:31 Read : 668
Anyone who has tried to buy or rent a place in Seattle knows affordable housing is hard to come by.

So this week the city is asking residents to weigh in on a plan to build taller, more dense buildings in some neighborhoods to ease the crunch.

The proposal is called mandatory housing affordability - creating more urban villages with housing, retail and restaurants all together - as in South Lake Union and the International District.

The plan under consideration right now would add close to 5,000 units - about half of the city's 10-year goal for affordable housing.

Some homeowners in these new zoning areas welcome it and the diversity it brings, but others say it will dilute the investments they've made in their homes.

In addition, many people who now live in single-family homes say they chose these neighborhoods for a reason and don't want to see condos or apartments - but that's exactly what the city is moving toward.

The city has released a map showing neighborhoods mandatory housing affordability already exists - and where the city wants to upzone, adding more dense housing options.

Another city-sponsored web page allows anyone to research a specific property, to see how it would be affected under the plan.

Those upzone areas would allow taller buildings to add homes on-site or have developers pay to create affordable housing in other areas of the city.

The council committee is meeting Monday and Tuesday on the issue. Monday's meeting is at City Hall at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday's meeting will include a public hearing at Chief Sealth High School at 6 p.m.

The full City Council plans to vote on the proposal by this fall.



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