Building More Affordable Housing Using Surplus Public Land
The Problem
Often surplus city property is sold to the highest bidder, permanently removing public land from public ownership and shrinking available spaces for affordable housing. And in the midst of an affordability crisis, Seattle needs to use every available tool at its disposal to create affordable housing.
Seattle's Opportunity
Rep. Cindy Ryu, a legislator from Shoreline, shepherded a bill (SHB 2382) through the legislature in 2018, granting authority to cities to sell surplus property for below fair-market value – all the way to $0 – as long as the land is used for permanently affordable housing.
This means Seattle could repurpose surplus property for community-driven development of affordable housing. And it would create opportunities to develop site control - where to place housing - for more community-driven affordable housing development.
Benefits
Discounted Affordable Housing (~15% Cheaper)
Land alone can add 15% to the cost of developing permanently affordable housing. By reducing or eliminating this cost, more homes can be built either on-site or throughout the city. This also means your taxpayer dollars can be stretched further for production of permanently affordable homes for working families, retirees, students, artists, small business owners and others.
Community-Driven Development
In addition, this will give the city an opportunity to evaluate underutilized properties and find mixed-use construction to expand affordable housing throughout Seattle. Mixed-use can include homes situated above child care facilities, libraries, small and micro businesses, community meeting spaces, and so much more!
What' Next?
The timeline below is subject to change:
Examples of Mixed-Use Housing
Mixed use housing can combine housing with commercial space on the ground floor as well as public amenitites like open space and childcare.
Infographic
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