Seattle
Urban Development InstituteSamuel Assefa, Director Vancouver, BC I May 16, 2019
Managing growth, affordability & livability
Seattle
Seattle’s Boom & Bust
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2035
People Jobs
120,000 more people by 2035(70,000 units of housing)
115,000 more jobs by 2035
Today Seattle is Growing Fast
• 20% of anticipated 20-year employment in just one year
• 22% of anticipated housing growth in first 2 years
2018 Urban Growth Monitoring
Today Seattle is Growing Fast
7
Today Seattle is Growing FastOur fastest growing neighborhoods are clustered around Downtow
Today Seattle is Growing Fast
Downtown• 82,000 residents• 301,000 jobs• $1.6 billion in retail sale
& $4.8B in construction activity in 2018
Over 32,000 housing units under construction or in predevelopment!
4,355
7,845
6,569
3,9124,603
8,3137,800
8,845
11,905 11,576 12,100
8,353
1,519
0
5000
10000
15000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Net New Units Demo
Residential units reported in the year the construction permit was issued(69,000 gross units in last 7 years)
Today Seattle is Growing Fast
Permit Intake Value & Volume
2018Permit Count: 11,046 Intake Value: $4.6 billion Issuance Value: $3.9 billion
2017Permit Count: 10,459 Intake Value: $4.3 billion Issuance Value: $5.1 billion
Today Seattle is Growing Fast
What’s Driving Seattle’s Growth?
2005 - 2016
Source: VIA Architecture
In permitting &development
Potential in the near future
Source: VIA Architecture
2005 - 2016
More than 45,000 Seattle households pay more than half of their income on housing.
Approx. 11,600 individuals experience homelessness, 47% of which are unsheltered.
Average rent in Seattle increased 35-37% in last 5years
Seattle is not Growing Affordably
Seattle is not Growing Affordably
A 5% average rent increase adds 258people to Seattle’s homeless population
Redlining (1936 – 1960s) Current Racial Distribution
Legacy of Racism
Seattle is not Growing Equitably
Ballard/Sunset Hills
"No part of said property hereby conveyed shall ever be used or occupied by any Hebrew or by any person of the Ethiopian, Malay or any Asiatic Race."
Source: UW Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project
Seattle is not Growing Equitably
Legacy of Racism
Queen Anne Neighborhood
"No person or persons of Asiatic, African or Negro blood, lineage, or extraction shall be permitted to occupy a portion of said property."Source: UW Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project
Legacy of Racism
Seattle is not Growing Equitably
14%
19%
23%
36%
55%
64%
73%
62%
57%
53%
41%
31%
23%
16%
24%
24%
24%
23%
14%
13%
11%
2019**
2014*
2010
2000
1990
1980
1970
Black Non-Hispanic White Other
Ethnicity Percentage in the Central District
Seattle is not Growing Equitably
Washington State Growth Management Act
Managing Seattle’s Growth
• Urban Growth Boundaries• Urban Village & Center Strategy• Grow around existing or planned
infrastructure
1994 Comprehensive Plan
18% of land target for 75% of projected growth
Managing Seattle’s Growth
2016 Update Primary themes• Affordability• Race and Social Equity• Livability & Sustainability
Managing Seattle’s Growth
30,000 new market-rate homes
20,000 affordable homes
• Incentives for family-sized housing
• Reduce permitting barriers
• More efficient construction methods
• Rent- and income-restricted homes
• Funding programs primarily for ≤ 60% AMI
• About 3x current production
Growth with Affordability
Voluntary Incentive Zoning for affordable housing (IZ)
Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA)
Growth with AffordabilityMandatory Housing Affordability
Mandatory Housing Affordability• All new development must build or pay for affordable housing• Provides additional development capacity to partially offset the cost of
these requirements • Increases housing choices
Growth with Affordability
Displacement Index• Vulnerability• Amenities• Development capacity &
rentAccess to Opportunity Index• Education• Economic Opportunity• Transit Access• Civic Infrastructure
Displacement Risk Index Access to Opportunity Index
Growth with Equity
• Distribute the benefits of growth equitably
• Prioritize marginalized populations• Race and social equity lens• Address displacement• Increase opportunities for low-
income households
Equitable Development Initiative
Growth with Equity
Move Seattle Levy - $930 Million
Growth with Livability
Growth with LivabilitySound Transit Levy - $54 Billion
• West Seattle/Ballard: 14 new stations by 2035
• Opportunities for equitable transit-oriented development
• Housing and other changes near future stations
Growth with LivabilitySound Transit Levy - $54 Billion
Growth with Livability Demolishing the Viaduct
Growth with LivabilityDemolishing the Viaduct
OVERLOOK WALKPIKE PLACE MARKET WATERFRONT ENTRANCE
Growth with Livability Lidding I-5
Renderings by Studio 216 for Lid I-5
• $1.7 billion project • 1.2 million sq. ft. of
new space• 409-unit residential tower • 16-story office tower• $83 million public benefit
Growth with LivabilityPublic/Private Partnership –
Convention Center Expansion
• $900 million Seattle Center Arena rebuild• $100 million Space Needle renovation• Seattle Opera facilities improvements• Uptown neighborhood rezone• Light rail transit station
Growth with LivabilityPublic/Private Partnership –Seattle Center Investments
Growth with Livability
• Established in 1958, DSA is a nonprofit membership organization
• Manages programs focused on the public realm
• Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) services a 285-block area with cleaning, programming, hospitality/safety and homelessness outreach
Public/Private Partnership –Seattle Center Investments
Seattle
Urban Development InstituteSamuel Assefa, Director Vancouver, BC I May 16, 2019