Seattle Housing Levy

What is the Seattle Housing Levy?

Since 1986 the Housing Levy has been the cornerstone of funding for affordable housing in Seattle, creating and preserving over 11,000 affordable rental homes and over 1,000 homeownership opportunities throughout the city. Thanks to investments from the Housing Levy, over 16,000 people currently live in safe, stable homes they can afford. For nearly 40 years, Seattle residents have consistently supported this critical resource, with the most recent Housing Levy in 2016 receiving a voter approval rate of over 70%.

Why is the Housing Levy up for renewal?

The 2016 Housing Levy is set to expire at the end of 2023. On June 13, 2023, Mayor Harrell signed legislation approving the City of Seattle’s 2023 Housing Levy proposal and sending it to voters for their approval this fall. The 2023 Housing Levy will be on the General Election ballot on November 7, 2023. If approved by voters, the 2023 Housing Levy will be implemented for seven years, from 2024-2030.

The 2023 Housing Levy proposal was developed following 16 months of stakeholder engagement, public meetings, and coordination between the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and the Office of Housing. To learn more about the 2023 Housing Levy’s proposed programs and goals, please see the 2023 Housing Levy Fact Sheet or read OH’s blog post.

In August 2016, Seattle voters approved a $290 million Housing Levy with ambitious affordable housing goals. After five years, the 2016 Housing Levy has exceeded its goals around rental housing production, rental housing preservation, and homeownership, and is on track to meet the remaining goals by the end of 2023. For a detailed report on Housing Levy outcomes as of 2022, see the 2022 Seattle Housing Levy Report, or see the 2016 Housing Levy Accoplishments for a two-page summary. 

Summary of 5-Year Progress Toward 7-Year Housing Levy Goals (2017-2022)

Seattle Housing Levy Oversight Committee

With the passage of the Housing Levy, voters also approved the establishment of an oversight committee, for the purpose of monitoring the progress of Levy programs, recommending funding policies, and annually reporting to the Mayor, City Council, and the public.

The 13 members of the Housing Levy Oversight Committee, all confirmed by City Council, are selected as follows:

• one City employee appointed by the Mayor
• one City employee appointed by the City Council
• six community members appointed by the Mayor
• five community members appointed by City Council

The current Housing Levy Oversight Committee members include:

Ann Melone, Chair, U.S. Bancorp
Beth Boram, Beacon Development Group
Cara Kadoshima Vallier, Office of Mayor Bruce Harrell
Colin Morgan-Cross, Mercy Housing Northwest
Damien James, The Northwest School
Dan Wise, Catholic Community Services
Denise Rodriguez, Washington Homeownership Resource Center
Erin Christensen Ishizaki, Mithun Architects
Joel Ing, Edge Developers
Patience Malaba, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County
Pradeepta Upadhyay, InterIm CDA
Traci Ratzliff, City Council Central Staff
Vallerie Fisher, Southeast Seattle Resident

High-Level Housing Levy Renewal Timeline

Public and Stakeholder Engagement

Between February 2022 and January 2023, the Office of Housing convened multiple groups and meetings to take input on the Housing Levy proposal from subject matter experts, stakeholders, and the public. During this period, 38 formal public comments were received both as testimony at public meetings and in writing.

For a complete summary of public and stakeholder engagement, please see the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy Community Engagement Report.

Housing Levy Leadership Group

• 3 Meetings
• 14 Members representing Housing Levy organizational stakeholders

Focus Groups

• 3 Focus Groups: Homeownership, Rental Housing, Equity
• 36 Organizations engaged representing Office of Housing Levy funding recipients

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

• 3 Meetings with opportunities for public testimony: 10/28/2022, 11/18/2022, 12/16/2022
• 20 Committee Members representing broad cross-section of affordable housing sector, expertise, and other stakeholders
• 2 Draft Proposals reviewed and revised, based on Committee Member and public feedback

Housing Levy Open Houses

• 3 Open House events held at Housing Levy-funded buildings and virtually:
  • DESC’s Hobson Place, 12/6/2022
  • Northaven Senior Living, 12/14/2022
  • Virtual Open House, 1/5/2023
• Members of the public were invited to learn about the Housing Levy and share their thoughts and desires for the renewal proposal.

For recordings of TAC meetings and other materials, see the Resources tab.

• 2023 Housing Levy Fact Sheet
• The 2023 Housing Levy: Meeting the Moment
• 2016 Housing Levy Accomplishments
• Glossary of Key Housing Terms and Concepts
• Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meetings
  • TAC Meeting #1 - October 28, 2022, 1-3pm
    • Meeting Agenda
    • DRAFT 10/28/22 Initial Proposal
    • Meeting Recording* (Password: z!d5dr1z)
      *Recording started after welcome, land acknowledgement, and first public commenter.
  • TAC Meeting #2 – November 18, 2022, 1-3pm
    • Meeting Agenda
    • DRAFT 11/18/22 Revised Proposal
    • Meeting Recording*
      *Due to an audio problem at the beginning of the meeting, Director Winkler-Chin’s welcome and land acknowledgment, as well as the meeting facilitator’s hybrid meeting guidance and introduction of the public comment period were not captured. Audio starts at 5:50.
  • TAC Meeting #3 – December 16, 2022, 1-3pm
    • Meeting Agenda
    • HYPOTHETICAL Levy Proposal Scenarios
    • Meeting Recording* (Password: *3KWgf^i)
      *Meeting recorded after welcome and land acknowledgement. 
• The Council-adopted Housing Levy Administrative & Financial (A&F) Plan, and the attached Housing Funding Policies, guide the use of Housing Levy funds, as well as other fund sources administered by the Office of Housing.
• The Office of Housing publishes annual Housing Levy Reports, which describe how levy funds have been used each year. Click here to view all available Housing Levy Reports.