From: "Laura Hewitt Walker" <laura.hewitt@Seattle.Gov>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 09:36:58 -0800
To: <tayles@jps.net>,"Tom Rasmussen" <tom.rasmussen@Seattle.Gov>
Cc: "Katie Hong" <katie.hong@Seattle.Gov>
Subject: Re: Multifamily Property Tax Exemption proposal and Madison
Miller
Thanks Andrew. You bring up a good point about the cost of
new housing that would be developed in absence of affordability
incentives... It's an issue that many neighborhoods are concerned
with. My understanding is that Council may take neighborhood desires
for mixed-income development into account as they review the legislation
and consider
target areas. There is another public hearing scheduled for March
1st I believe... It would be good if you could attend.
Laura Hewitt Walker
Seattle Office of Housing
206-684-0429
Andrew Taylor <tayles@jps.net> 02/24/04 09:33PM >>>
Thank you for explaining your reasoning to Councilmember Rasmussen.
As I noted, your arguments fail to allow for rapidly developing neighborhoods like ours. The redevelopment of our area will displace many people on limited incomes and will make rents unaffordable for many others.
Our neighborhood is on many transit lines with easy access to U-Dub and downtown and passable access to Lake Union, and hence is an ideal place for lower income people in many service industries to live.
I therefore urge you to include it in the MFTE. I appreciate the desire to link development incentives with the MFTE, but see nothing in the proposed ordinance REQUIRING such linkage.
It is critical to act now, before complete market rate development of the area removes the possibility of preserving our jewel of a mixed income community.
Please include us.
Thanks
Andrew
on 2/23/04 12:06 PM, Laura Hewitt Walker at laura.hewitt@Seattle.Gov
wrote:
Hi Andrew,
In answer to your question to Councilmember Rasmussen, the primary reason that the Executive did not recommend that Madison-Miller be a target area for MFTE is because it had already exceeded it's 20-year residential growth target at the time the evaluation was done. 2003 figures were just released and Madison-Miller is now at 174% of its growth target for year 2014. The Executive did not feel like it could make a strong argument for why a tax incentive was needed in that particular urban village.
Many of the urban villages we are recommending have met less
than 1/4 of their 20-year growth target. Others may be further
along, but there is a need for affordable workforce housing due
to high numbers of lower-wage jobs in the immediate area. I hope
this helps clarify the Executive's position. Please let me know
if you have any further questions.
Laura Hewitt Walker
Seattle Office of Housing
206-684-0429
Tom Rasmussen 02/22/04 07:38PM >>>
Mr. Taylor,
By sending a copy of this message to the Office of Housing I will ask the Office of Housing for information as to why Miller Park has not been included in their recommendations.
Thanks for your inquirey.
Tom Rasmussen
Seattle City Council
206-684-8808