Seattle’s Love Affair with Housing Committees and Fees
To great fanfare, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray launched his housing advisory committee on September 23rd, 2014, seeking recommendations on how to address Seattle’s housing affordability crisis. The 28-member Housing Affordability and Livability was created by a city council resolution, and the unpaid, volunteer committee includes private property developers, local housing experts, and advocates for tenants […]
Housing Prices: Will Incentives and Inclusion Help? (Part 2)
First of a two part series by Jerrell Whitehead. The posts here on zoning are longer versions of material he completed while at Sightline Institute. His initial interest on this subject came from conversations with A-P Hurd, Vice-President at Touchstone Corporation, who gave a number of reasons why housing construction costs are growing in Seattle. All views expressed […]
Linkage Fees: Will Seattle Start the San Francisco Death Spiral
The Seattle City Council is at it again. Councilmember Mike O’Brien wants a “linkage fee” on all new development in Seattle to raise money for subsidized housing. This new tax being discussed today in the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability (PLUS) Committee is supposed to lower rents. When have adding fees and costs to something […]
