Mayor Murray’s solution to Seattle rent increases met with criticism

To counter the increasing cost of living in Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray has proposed “building up” the U-District and Lower Queen Anne. Activist groups are outraged and protesting the idea. While there would be a height limit of seven stories, the activists claim the fix would change the neighborhood’s aesthetics and character.

KIRO Radio’s Jason and Burns dissected some critiques of the plan, including those from John Fox, of the Displacement Coalition of Seattle, who spoke with KIRO 7.

“It would irrevocably alter both the physical and social character of the neighborhood and spell a dramatic loss of hundreds of units of existing affordable housing.”

Jason Rantz: It won’t irrevocably change anything. His main complaint is if you do this it will impact 1,500 homes … that’s only if every single one of those landowners decide to sell to a developer who plans to go up seven stories or whatever it is, which is not going to happen all at once. Is it the potential that at some point, in the history of the U-District neighborhood, that will happen? I guess. But that happens with almost every single neighborhood.

A woman who moved to the area told KIRO 7 that she is also disappointed by this idea:

“They are tearing everything down in West Seattle. I’m sick of it. It used to be a nice community, that’s why I basically moved here from the Midwest.”

Rantz: You moved here from the Midwest — you created this problem! It’s not that I don’t understand … I am a transplant. I moved here nine years ago. I have no issue with transplants.

Burns: But I don’t think you can yearn for yesteryear when you’re a transplant. I couldn’t move to New York tomorrow and then lament about how cool Times Square used to be.

The KIRO hosts say the main reason living prices are up is supply and demand.

Rantz: You’ve got thousands of people who want to come here and lots of developers are building, but they’re not keeping up with demand. When you have a limited supply, it increases the rents.

Burns: Here’s the thing, too, the U-District is ugly. I think it’s the ugliest district in the city. What are we preserving here? It’s kind of disappointing, actually. You would think that one of the coolest districts would be right next to campus, but the opposite is true. I wouldn’t have a problem with high-rises going in there because there’s not a character worth preserving.

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