Washington Community Action Network

You can help working people in Seattle!! Here's how...

Like many other large cities, Seattle has an innovative program in place that requires developers to help mitigate the costs of downtown development. The city basically "sells" the rights to develop any building over a certain size, in exchange for certain incentives provided by the developers back to the city. The main part of this legislation, called Transferable Development Rights (TDR), or the Bonus Program, asks developers to pay an established rate per additional square foot of space. This money is then used to develop affordable housing, along with other purposes.

Unfortunately, the current program barely scratches the surface. Most of the people who work on the new high-rise buildings in downtown Seattle aren't making enough to live in the city in which they work! While the new facilities are used to host conferences, lodge guests, and make millions of dollars, people like the construction workers, restaurant workers, maids and hospitality workers, are being forced to take second jobs and compromise on such necessities as housing, food, and other staples of living.

In addition, the current rates charged under the TDR/Bonus Program are not realistic, compared to the cost of developing and providing new affordable housing. (Developers are paying only 16 cents on every dollar needed.)

The Answer

The Mayor's office has proposed rewriting the rules covering TDR and the Bonus program. The S.A.G.E. Coalition, of which Washington CAN! is a participant, is involved in the negotiations and wants to create a more thorough and comprehensive program. In short, the city needs to address the full spectrum of issues associated with downtown development. We, along with S.A.G.E., want to see in the new legislation:

• a more appropriate rate charged for the TDR/Bonus Programs, so that developers can be more realistically contributing to more low-income housing development in Seattle;
• "living wage" language for workers in development contracts, so downtown workers are making reasonable wages and can afford to live in Seattle while they work here;
• a social impact statement for each new development, so that effects on housing, urban sprawl, and social services are considered as part of the application process.

Fighting For Living Wages And Affordable Housing In Seattle

S.A.G.E. The Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing for Everyone.
You can help working people in Seattle!
Here's how...

Corporate Subsidy Disclosure

Making sure our economic development dollars are hard at work.