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Tell Mayor Durkan & City Council to Vote No on the MHA “Grand Bargain”

Time to Email, Call, and Write Mayor Durkan and the City Council

Tell Mayor Durkan that while the vision sounds good (we all want more affordable housing, both subsidized and naturally occurring), the devil is in the details. And the details do not support passing the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) legislation.

Mayor Durkan and City Council need to hear from the people of Seattle before the final MHA hearing (which is February 21, during Seattle Public Schools winter break).

Please email, call, and write Mayor Durkan and our City Council members with your concerns and ask them to VOTE NO on the MHA Legislation.

Here is why:
Despite input from neighborhoods all over Seattle, the MHA legislation has remained pretty much the same since it was first proposed. The City’s propaganda paints a story that the MHA Legislation is the only way to increase affordable housing in Seattle. What the city does not tell you is that it displaces as much as it replaces, that it does not work to grow the city in a way that simultaneously grows livability and quality of life, and that the fee-in-lieu payments are ridiculously low. Also, there is no adequate “claw-back” provision to revert the zoning back to present definitions should the City be sued and the mandatory part of MHA be found to be unlawful (leaving the up-zones in effect, increasing rents and property taxes, without any affordable housing units!). 

Please email and call Mayor Durkan: jenny.durkan@seattle.gov; 206-684-4000; Mayor Jenny Durkan, PO Box 94749, Seattle, WA 98124-4749.

Please email and call City Council: lisa.herbold@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, kshama.sawant@seattle.gov, rob.johnson@seattle.gov, debora.juarez@seattle.gov, mike.obrien@seattle.gov, sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov, teresa.mosqueda@seattle.gov, lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov; 206-684-2489; Seattle City Council, PO Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025.

Save the Date: Please plan to attend the only Public Hearing for the MHA legislation on Thursday, February 21, 5:30 PM at Seattle City Hall in Council Chambers. Come early to sign up to testify.

If you can, attend the final consideration of the MHA legislation before the Select Committee on Monday, February 25, 2:30 PM and before the Full Council on Monday, March 18, 2:00 PM at Seattle City Hall in Council Chambers. Come early to sign up to testify.

Impacts here in Wallingford:

MHA FEIS Preferred Alternative Map for Wallingford Urban Village
  • If MHA passes, properties in the Wallingford Urban Village change from Single-Family to Lowrise-1, Lowrise-2, and even Lowrise-3 zoning (See maps below).
  • If MHA passes, 700 single-family homes will be up-zoned to multi-family zones.
  • If MHA passes, massive developments will be allowed next to houses. Many of the up-zones change building heights from three stories up to five stories!
  • If MHA passes, set-backs and step-backs to preserve yards, trees, and sunlight remain inadequate and may be greatly reduced by up-zoning.
  • If MHA passes, no affordable housing units will be required to be built on-site, and the fee-in-lieu payments provide a further discount to developers.
  • If MHA passes, it will decrease housing diversity and will drive families out of the urban villages. There are no requirements to build true family-sized three-bedroom housing.
  • If MHA passes, it will drive out local small businesses as there are no requirements for affordable leases in new buildings.
  • If MHA passes, property taxes increase for all up-zoned properties as adjacent properties are developed.
  • If MHA passes, rents will increase as new market-rate units are built.
  • If MHA passes, no on-site parking will be required in multi-unit buildings.
  • If MHA passes, the true displacement of low- and middle-income residents, and small businesses will go unknown as there is no requirement to track existing affordable housing and leases.
  • Whether or not MHA passes, the City (alone among Washington cities) will not have any Impact Fees to fund schools, parks, roads, and public safety!
MHA Zoning Changes for Wallingford Urban Village, Map 17
MHA Zoning Changes for Wallingford Urban Village, Map 16

MHA Zoning Changes for Wallingford Urban Village, Map 18

Why all the fuss? New to the HALA Grand Bargain MHA proposal? 

Fixing the MHA Grand Bargain, Saturday January 12

The Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability, & Equity (SCALE) is hosting the following event. Please forward this invitation to friends and family who live in less active neighborhoods and who would be greatly impacted by MHA:

Please attend “Fixing the MHA Grand Bargain”

Dear Concerned Neighbor,

The Seattle City Council has an aggressive schedule to adopt the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) legislation by the middle of March. They will discuss amendments to the MHA and to the Comprehensive Plan in January. The single Public Hearing will be held on Thursday February 21.

This will change our city forever! The Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability, & Equity (SCALE) remains concerned that MHA does not truly address affordability, destroys the livability of our homes, and provides no equity for non-wealthy residents. Unfortunately, the Appeal of the MHA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was not successful, except for requiring the City to more fully examine the impact on historic properties.

Now is the time to push City Council, especially your Councilmember, to make the MHA Grand Bargain the Right Bargain. SCALE is hosting an educational forum, “Fixing the MHA Grand Bargain” on Saturday January 12 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at the Central Area Senior Center, 500 30th Ave S.

The agenda will cover:

  • The urgency for action now!
  • The MHA legislation schedule.
  • The results of the MHA EIS Appeal.
  • What was learned from evidence presented at the Appeal.
  • Amendments being proposed to correct deficiencies in the MHA legislation (for both citywide and neighborhood specific issues).
  • The action plan to get amendments into City Council for discussion and adoption.

An optional background session covering “What is MHA?” will be held at 9:00 AM before the main meeting.

There is no need to RSVP. Coffee and light snacks will be provided. The closest bus routes are 14 and 27. Questions? Contact SCALE at info@scaleseattle.org.

Use your power to save our beloved neighborhoods and City. Please get involved and attend the forum!

The Ruling of the Hearing Examiner does not address the wisdom of the MHA legislation. Please see the editorial “A wake-up call for Seattle neighborhoods”, The Seattle Times editorial “Mayor must work with neighborhoods on Seattle’s growth and affordability plans”, and David Horsey’s cartoon “Shattering Seattle’s great neighborhoods”.

Play Area closing at Wallingford Playfield

New play equipment in Wallingford Playfield for ages 5 to 12.
New play equipment in Wallingford Playfield for ages 2 to 5.The play area in Wallingford Playfield will close on Tuesday November 6 for renovation and improvement. Construction fencing will be installed and demolition of the existing equipment that has been compromised because of termites will be removed.

Seattle Parks and Recreation anticipates opening the renovated play area in early 2019 after the new play equipment is installed and improvements made. The new play equipment will meet current safety standards, and ensure accessibility to all children ages 2 to 12 in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Wallingford Community Council "Kite Hill" logo

Defend Your Neighborhood; Support the MHA Appeal

Dear Neighbor,

Last year, the Wallingford Community Council (WCC) joined the Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability & Equity (SCALE) and in filing an Appeal of the MHA Final EIS. The City’s “Grand Bargain” fails at increasing affordable housing, accelerates displacement of residents, and does nothing for livability.

This city-wide volunteer coalition of community organizations has raised $200,000 to pay legal expenses, and has put in many hours doing research and preparation work to keep costs down.You can also find DWI lawyers to get legal help.

The Hearing Examiner’s ruling is expected in early November. As the end of the Appeal process nears, it is important to continue funding this effort. Please help SCALE raise an additional $20,000 to cover legal summary briefs and counter briefs for final arguments.

Please donate, and ask your friends to do the same!

Online:
www.scaleseattle.org/donate.html

By Check:
Seattle Fair Growth Appeal
2442 NW Market Street, Box 487
Seattle, WA 98107
(Pay to the Order of: “Seattle Fair Growth”; Memo: SCALE member group you support, or your neighborhood.)


Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability & Equity Accomplishments

Dedicated volunteers from 29 neighborhoods and organizations, working with a legal team of 2 paid and 6 volunteer attorneys, have:

  • Appealed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the City’s proposed Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) ordinance, documenting MHA’s acceleration of displacement, contempt for neighborhood planning, devaluing of historic resources, and indifference to impacts on trees, open space, and land use.
  • Met weekly since November 2017.
  • Reviewed over 100,000 City documents.
  • Presented SCALE’s legal case during 18 full days of Hearings.
  • Engaged 6 Expert Witnesses.
  • Wrote an Opinion Editorial published by the Seattle Times.
  • Testified in multiple Seattle City Council meetings.
  • Strengthened community connections across Seattle.

Continue reading →

Wallingford Community Council "Kite Hill" logo

Monthly Meeting, Wednesday October 3

Time: 7 PM.
Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N.

Agenda:

  • Welcome / Call to Order.
  • Now coming in November, due to an unexpected conflict: K C Dietz and Amalia Walton, Lake Washington Rowing Club, on maintaining public access to Lake Union at Waterway 23.
  • Ruth Harper, Seattle Department of Transportation, presents the results of the southeast Wallingford area Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) study.
  • Update on the the Green Lake and Wallingford Paving project which includes N/NE 40th Street.
  • Public Review of a new building at 1624 N 45th Street replacing the burned-out Kitaro’s Restaurant.  (Under the City’s new Design Review process, this is the only opportunity for public comment.)
  • Committee reports.
  • Announcements:
  • Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up).
  • Adjourn.