This afternoon, the City Council voted out of committee a controversial bill making several changes to the SEPA appeal process, after making a handful of mostly minor amendments.
Category Archives: housing
Council votes Mercer Megablock sale approval out of committee
This afternoon, the City Council voted out of committee an ordinance approving the proposed sale of the “Mercer Megablock” to Alexandria Real Estate Equities.
Continue reading Council votes Mercer Megablock sale approval out of committee
RV Ranching, the Sequel
Earlier this week, the City Council had another committee hearing on the Mayor’s proposed ordinance to curb “RV Ranching,” predatory renting of RV’s and other vehicles in poor condition to homeless people.
The second conversation went better than the first one last week, and the issues are becoming clearer.
Trio of eviction-reform bills working their way through Council
Three tenant-rights bills, all sponsored by Council member Lisa Herbold, got a hearing in committee this past Tuesday; one passed out of the committee and the other two are still in the works.
All three bills address issues raised in the “Losing Home” report published last year by the King County Bar Association and the Seattle Women’s Commission. That report looked at several problems in the eviction process, and made recommendations on how to make it fairer, more equitable, and less likely to drive people into homelessness.
Continue reading Trio of eviction-reform bills working their way through Council
City announces sale of “Mercer Megablock”
This morning, Mayor Durkan announced that the city has agreed to terms with Alexandria Real Estate Equities to purchase the Mercer Megablock property in South Lake Union, along with the adjacent city-owned property at 615 Dexter Avenue N. The deal will net the city $143 million in cash, plus a package of additional public benefits that together the city estimates will total somewhere between $275 – $305 million.
“Mercer Megablock” announcement coming in next two weeks (updated)
Remember the “Mercer Megablock” — the 96,000 square foot chunk of city-owned property in South Lake Union that the city is trying to sell, and became controversial last October when community and housing advocates pushed for the city to use the entire property for affordable housing?
This morning, Mayor Durkan let it be known that an announcement related to the sale of the property is coming next week, and gave some high-level details on what she will propose to do with the proceeds from the sale. UPDATE: A spokesperson from the Mayor now says that the details on the sale and an accompanying bill for the Council’s consideration will be coming “in the next two weeks.”
Continue reading “Mercer Megablock” announcement coming in next two weeks (updated)
Mayor announces pair of affordable housing measures
This morning, Mayor Durkan held a press conference to announce two measures to help address the ongoing housing crisis in the city.
Continue reading Mayor announces pair of affordable housing measures
Notes from today’s Council meetings
Believe it or not, things happened today that aren’t related to taxes. Here’s the scoop.
Council passes update to “notice of intent to sell” ordinance
This afternoon, the City Council passed into law an update to the city’s existing ordinance that requires owners of certain multifamily rental properties to post a notice of their intent to sell the property well in advance of transacting a deal.
Continue reading Council passes update to “notice of intent to sell” ordinance
“Notice of intent to sell” tenant protection ordinance passes out of committee as something very different
This morning, the City Council passed out of committee the “notice of intent” tenant protection ordinance. But they heavily amended it first, changing the nature of the bill and raising several issues as to its legality.
