Seattle mayor backs off proposal for more density in single-family zones

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says he will not recommend changing 94 percent of single-family zones in Seattle, claiming that the media “derailed the conversation on [housing] affordability.”

Rather than pursuing a recommendation by the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA)committee, Murray is asking the public to weigh-in on how to best increase affordable housing in denser neighborhoods.

“In the weeks since the HALA recommendations were released, sensationalized reporting by a few media outlets has created a significant distraction and derailed the conversation that we need to have on affordability and equity.”

Related: Is Seattle doing away with single-family homes?

The mayor went on to say that a conversation about affordable housing is about building a city that welcomes all walks of life.

“We also must not be afraid to talk about the painful fact that parts of our city are still impacted by the intersection of income, race and housing. Look at a map and take a walk through our neighborhoods. We can move beyond the legacy of the old boundaries of exclusion that have remained largely unchanged since nearly a century ago when neighborhood covenants were used to keep people of color south of Madison Street.

“I have always believed that Seattle can step up and have a difficult conversation about our history of racial discrimination and economic inequality. Our shared vision for Seattle includes affordable housing and diversity in all our neighborhoods.

Murray said he will focus his efforts on designing more affordable housing in denser urban centers and villages along transit lines.