Washblog

Seattle City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck's proposal to charge a "developer's fee" of $20 per square foot for new buildings, to be allocated to affordable housing is not only a reasonable amount, it is funding that is badly needed to build affordable housing in the center of Seattle. I commend Councilmember Steinbrueck for championing this issue. Mayor Nickels is on record supporting $10 a square foot, an amount that is embarrassingly small. Affordable housing is a critically important issue for Seattle, and promoting affordable housing in conjunction with Transit Oriented Development will enable Seattle to have varied housing that is connected to the transit network, with affordable housing strategically located at transit hubs. In Seattle we've seen a trend for many years to build "high end" housing, and at the same time make a minimal public investment in housing that is affordable through public subsidies to individuals and families making less than the average income in our area. The "developers fee" will help reverse this trend. Seattleites need to learn from Vancouver BC on this issue. In Vancouver, housing developers can pay up to $30 a square foot, in addition to paying for many other amenities. article in Seattle Weekly article in Seattle PI article in Seattle PI on Vancouver BC