We have an opinion post up at Publicola that is worth reading if you’re concerned about the future of housing in the City. Unfortunately the process the Mayor started–his Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) Committee–might be falling apart. City Councilmembers are grandstanding in a political year to people who are dead set against growth.

We’re tracking two items that will harm housing supply and choice in the City and both are authored by Councilmember Sally Clark and supported by Councilmember Mike O’Brien. The first is the low-rise legislation that would profoundly impact neighborhoods best suited for growth in Seattle and the second changes the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) requirements for what used to be called microhousing, now called Small Efficiency Dwelling Units or SEDUs.

We’ve extensively talked about the low-rise issue and we’ll continue to give the facts: if this legislation passed it will hurt housing for people who want to live in Seattle’s densest and most transit friendly neighborhoods.

But we’re only just starting to assess the damage that would be done by Councilmember Clark’s changes to Area Median Income (AMI) requirements to the MFTE program for SEDUs. We’ve asked the Chair of the Committee, Faith Pettis (an attorney for a law firm that serves as bond counsel to the Washington State Housing Finance Commission which manages millions of subsidies for non-profit developers of affordable housing) to ask the Council to stop pushing significant housing legislation while the Council considers broader housing policy.

So far Pettis doesn’t seem to agree that the process is being HALA Committee is being undermined by Councilmembers; she says the HALA has “a collaborative working relationship with Clark.” The future of housing hangs in the balance. Please comment at Publicola and let the Chair of the HALA Committee know what you think.

faith.pettis@pacificalawgroup.com