As part of a continued effort to provide for community needs and improve housing options for low-income families in the area, Seattle City Council has approved the acquisition of two parcels of land in the South Park neighborhood for affordable housing development.
The legislation from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan specifies that the housing units must be affordable for individuals or families making 60% or less of the area’s median income. This equates to $69,400 for a family of four and $48,600 for an individual.
The price of the combined acquisition is around $3.65 million, with plans for anywhere from 70 to 120 units for low-income families. The project will also include access to community services on the ground floor of the development, and aims to prioritize applications from families and individuals who would be most impacted by potential displacement from the area.
Additionally, the development which will be located on 18,000 square feet of land, will aim to be highly efficient with energy and water, with a fully electric design and zero carbon output.
This acquisition is part of a larger project started in 2016 by the Office of Housing to invest further in the Duwamish Valley. Further plans for this area include a future South Park Plaza, a river walk with infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists along with a waterfront trail, a South Park Community Center and Marra Farm, which will be a multi-use park.
Seattle Public Utilities and the Department of Transportation are also working to improve the area’s infrastructure, streets and drainage, and will be adding a pump station. The Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition worked in tandem with the City of Seattle to take on this project, and was awarded $1 million to assist with the identification and acquisition of land to support these community services.
The completion of all these projects is still a long way off; however, with the city’s prioritization of the needs of potentially displaced people, racial equity and environmental concerns of the area, South Park residents have a lot to look forward to.
This article was originally posted on MyNorthwest.
