This Thursday, February 13, the Seattle City Council will be hosting an Affordable Workforce Housing Forum at City Hall. You can find all the details, including the agenda, on the Council’s website. You can also sign up there to attend all or part of the forum.

We’ve already covered this topic earlier pointing out that the problem of workforce housing really isn’t a problem at all. In fact, it looks like the City is trying to solve a problem we don’t have using a tool that really won’t work, incentive zoning.

There is no doubt that many people struggle to find a place to live in Seattle that meets their needs. Sometimes what they find isn’t satisfying because of the price. Other times the location could be a better fit for their needs. But anyone who has looked for a new place to live will tell you it’s not fun. The question is where in the housing market is the biggest problem; where are people being forced into unsustainable arrangements that are inconvenient and financially untenable?

The evidence is pretty clear (see the chart above from a King County needs assessment) that the greatest pain being felt in the housing market by consumers is at the lower levels of income (i.e. households that earn less than $42,000 per year). There are a number of reasons for this, but it is pretty hard to argue that we should be taxing new housing in our city to subsidize housing that the market is already producing. What would help all levels of income in the city is more housing production of all types. Right now the City Council is trying to find ways to generate revenue from adding costs to new housing to, ironically, subsidize the increased costs of housing.

We need a new and fresh approach to this discussion. Attend the forum and let the Council know your thoughts.

Seattle Workforce Housing Forum

Thursday, February 13
Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Avenue, 1st Floor, Bertha Knight Landes Room

Noon – 4:30 p.m. – Expert Panel and Stakeholder Engagement Discussion
4:30 – 6:00pm – Informal Gathering with Panelists
6 p.m – 8 p.m. – Public Feedback Session

Join us as we tackle the best ways to meet Seattle’s affordable housing needs!  We’ll hear from national experts about workforce housing production in cities like Seattle, and how we can make the smartest decisions possible going forward.

The forum will include discussions on:

• Ideas how to Increase the Affordable Housing Supply
• Seattle’s Current Housing Programs
• Innovative New Strategies for Workforce Housing
• National Best Practices in Incentive and Inclusionary Zoning

12 noon – 4:30p.m.
Expert Panel and Stakeholder Engagement Discussion is generally geared toward stakeholders in the housing/development/advocacy field.  After the panels, there will be an informal no-host happy hour at the Polar Bar for further discussion between participants and panelists.

Draft Agenda

6 p.m – 8 p.m.
Public Feedback Session is geared toward the general public

The City is currently evaluating the best methods increase the supply of affordable housing in Seattle by engaging with national experts, consultants, stakeholders, and the public. This forum will help inform City Council’s work going forward. Both events are free, and the public is welcome to attend either or both.