MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Mayor Durkan unveils biggest low-income housing increase in Seattle history

Dec 17, 2018, 2:02 PM | Updated: 2:51 pm

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Monday an investment of over $75 million to build and preserve more than 1,400 affordable homes across the city.

RELATED: Why isn’t Seattle building affordable housing?

Mayor Durkan’s plan represents the largest number of affordable homes ever created inside of a single year in Seattle.

“Affordability is really one of the most moral challenges of our time,” said Durkan in a press conference announcing the investment. “Too many people are getting pushed out of Seattle, and can’t afford to live here.”

In total, the city is targeting approximately 4,000 new affordable homes by 2022. Durkan’s proposed investment for 2019 will support the construction of ten new buildings housing 1,197 apartments. It will also preserve nine existing buildings housing 238 apartments.

The funds will come from Seattle’s Office of Housing, promising in a press release to “provide affordable homes through a broad range of housing types to meet the unique needs of low-income residents.”

A number of the new buildings will have community spaces on the ground floor to “benefit residents of the building, as well as the surrounding community.”

There will be an especial focus on housing and resources for the elderly, with 85 apartments set aside for seniors.

This initial $75 million investment will also support an additional $300 million in investments for affordable housing from public and private sources.

“We have to move the needle on affordability, and have to make decisions not just for today, but for the future generations of Seattle,” said Mayor Durkan.

In November, the city broke ground on 102 new affordable units in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood.

For that project, the focus was on treating it as a “housing first” initiative, positing that recovery for the homeless can’t occur without first helping them establish a “safe, stable place to live.” To that end, the building in Little Saigon will offer on-site medical care, hospice care, counseling for veterans, and financial management when it’s finished.

The city also opened a new affordable housing complex in the former home of Fire Station 39 in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood back in October. The complex includes 69 units, a four-classroom preschool, gardens, a rooftop deck, and a solar array.

MyNorthwest News

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

12 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

13 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

14 hours ago

Grocery store shopper...

Bill Kaczaraba

Ways to deal with Seattle grocery store sticker shock

Seattle grocery store sticker shock continues to play havoc on locals, but there are ways to counter high prices.

15 hours ago

belltown hellcat social media...

Frank Sumrall

Infamous ‘Belltown Hellcat’ social media influencer charged with reckless driving

The social media influencer has been accused of driving 107 miles per hour through Belltown in a Dodge Hellcat.

16 hours ago

KIRO Newsradio gracie awards...

MyNorthwest Staff

KIRO Newsradio anchors receive Gracie Awards for outstanding work

Heather Bosch and Lisa Brooks, anchors at KIRO Newsradio, have been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media with prestigious Gracie Awards.

19 hours ago

Mayor Durkan unveils biggest low-income housing increase in Seattle history