Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says city is ‘stepping up big time’ for the housing market

A Chinese investor is developing a 40-story apartment complex in South Lake Union that is market rate. KIRO Radio’s Colleen O’Brien asked Seattle Mayor Ed Murray why the city can’t encourage more affordable housing as well.

Related: Seattle’s ‘Grand Bargain’ to provide affordable housing

“I was just at Mary’s Place,” O’Brien said of the shelter that houses women, children, and sometimes men. “As well as the new Travel Lodge that Amazon donated to Mary’s Place. I interviewed families, families with children. They kept telling me over and over again, that ‘if only there were more low-income housing out there that would accept our family.’”

O’Brien was relating her experience over the phone with Mayor Murray while he was in China on an economic trip.

“I can’t help but hear when you say that we’re signing a deal with China for an apartment complex that is going to be market rate — and I think of these families that need a home,” she said. “They shouldn’t be in a shelter.”

Mayor Murray said he had to “push back” a bit when he heard that.

“Part of our commitment to housing is 50,000 units over the next 10 years — 20,000 affordable units, which we are doing through a series of our own programs,” Murray said. “But 30,000 need to be market-rate housing because one of the ways you deal with affordability is that you create more supply.

“Right now, Seattle, really the whole region around Seattle, so many people want to live here,” he continued. “We have to increase our stock. Anybody who develops will be contributing to building low-income housing. But this is actually market-rate housing, which is very important in our overall efforts.”

The mayor noted that Seattle just wrapped up a deal with housing advocates and developers that took 10 months to complete. That plan is aimed at funding more affordable and low-income housing.

“Our program is viewed as the most aggressive and progressive low-income housing programs in the United States,” Murray said. “When it is up and running, we will be producing three times [the amount of] affordable housing units — low-income housing units — than we are now. It will be six times what San Francisco is doing. And we will have the largest low-income housing and affordable housing program in the nation — or one of the largest.

“But we also know that part of how you deal with housing is the market-rate housing,” he added. “What happens if you don’t have enough market-rate housing is that the low-income housing gets gobbled up by people with a lot of money. To say one versus the other — I don’t mean to say this to you – but it’s ridiculous. This city is stepping up big time. We are doubling the housing money.”

O’Brien understands the benefits of Seattle’s long-term housing plan, but still emphasizes that there is an immediate need.

“If we’re in a homeless crisis right now, we need housing right now,” she said. “They have jobs; they just need an affordable apartment.”

Homelessness and RVs in Seattle

While on the phone, Seattle’s Morning News took the opportunity to discuss the related topic of homelessness in Seattle. Mayor Murray declared a state of emergency over the crisis last year. It led to tent city programs and city-funded lots for RVs commonly lining the city’s streets.

Related: Mixed messages between what cops and Seattle officials say about homelessness

The RV lot program was deemed as too expensive and will only last until the end of summer.

“I realize some people don’t believe this but it’s a fact — we have slowly reduced the number of folks who are in RVs parked illegally over long periods of time,” Murray said. “And we are not done getting those off the streets but we are slowly getting them off the streets.”

“The RV lot was never meant as a permanent solution,” he said. “And I think it is working in that we are particularly getting families in that lot, getting them services.”

Murray said that the city continues to develop an approach to the homeless crisis, but noted that nothing the city can do alone will solve the problem.

“When Redmond is having a problem with homelessness; when Issaquah is having a problem with homelessness; and Everett and Aberdeen are having a problem with homelessness, we will only solve this problem when the federal government in particular steps up and becomes our partner in creating affordable housing,” he said. “And when the state funds mental health at a level we don’t currently fund.”

Follow @https://twitter.com/DyerOxley