Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, August 8, 2012
City Tonight: Your Last Chance to Weigh in on the Most Important Redevelopment Project in Seattle
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Aug 8, 2012 at 2:41 PM
- SHA
- Bonus: It'll all be built with watercolors!
Once again because it bears repeating: Tonight is your last chance to publicly voice your thoughts and hurdle criticisms at the Seattle Housing Authority's proposed rebuild of the 70-year-old low-income apartment complex.
Under the SHA proposal, 561 wood-frame units that currently overlook I-5 on First Hill would be bulldozed and replaced with a series of new buildings and towers—some up to 85 feet tall—spread across eight blocks. The towers would holding 1,801 apartments serving a range of low-income and workforce-housing residents**, and another 1,200-3,200 market-rate apartments and condos.
- The Stranger
- Courtesy of SHA
Of course there are critics of the plan, and of course some of their points are more valid than others.
Some argue that the number of low-income units proposed for actual Yesler Terrace site—as opposed the greater, eight-block redevelopment "zone"—is appallingly low when compared with the number of higher-priced apartments. "The small number of low income units compared to market rate is disgraceful," writes a group calling itself Citizens Rethink Yesler.
Others worry that transportation infrastructure in the area can't support such a dramatic population influx. (HOT TIP: Buses have wheels!)
City council members will be discussing a slew of amendments to the Yesler Terrace legislation tomorrow morning—among them, an amendment to expand the number of family-sized apartments in the plan (as opposed to one- and two-bedroom units) and an amendment that would prevent SHA from shuffling more than 20 low-income units (in the 60 and 80 percent AMI brackets) off site to make room for richer residents. Here's a .pdf of all the proposed amendments if you're curious; I'll be posting more about them tomorrow.
**For the detailed income/unit breakdown, check out this handy presentation: .pdf.
1
Will the market rate apartments come with bullet proof windows, double-dead bolts and the standard alarm system for gentrifiers?
3
What annoys me about the project is how they are ignoring a rare opportunity to reconnect the street grid and bring the neighborhood back to life, with traffic and retail and a connection to rest of the city that has been missing since the original Yesler Terrace projects were completed all those decades ago (and the destruction wrought by the freeway itself, and the horrible Boren cut done back in the 50s).
Instead, they appear to have taken a page out of the book of discredited public-housing ideas of the 1950s and 60s, building towers-in-gardens with no economic life at all and no links to the city. Judging from that picture, those "market-rate" units will quickly revert to slums.
It's disenheartening to see all the talk about gardens and trees, and so little about retail, which is the lifeblood of the community -- if it IS to be a community. Where is all the talk about lining the streets with storefronts, and connecting them back up to the cross streets? That's what Yesler Terrace needs more than anything.
Instead, they appear to have taken a page out of the book of discredited public-housing ideas of the 1950s and 60s, building towers-in-gardens with no economic life at all and no links to the city. Judging from that picture, those "market-rate" units will quickly revert to slums.
It's disenheartening to see all the talk about gardens and trees, and so little about retail, which is the lifeblood of the community -- if it IS to be a community. Where is all the talk about lining the streets with storefronts, and connecting them back up to the cross streets? That's what Yesler Terrace needs more than anything.
4
So the poor people get to live in low rise town homes with lots of green spaces, sunlight and wide walkways...while the rich folk uptown get to live in one bedroom condos inside 75 story concrete prisons with no greenspace, a dirty sidewalk near the social agencies and the chance of an equivalent building going up and blocking their view.
Viva la revolution.
Viva la revolution.
5
Oh.
I thought this was about the Ballard streetcar line coming thru Fremont.
You know, the job creators.
Never mind.
@3 is correct, but you're better with a 10/60/15/15 split of Rich/Middle/Working/Poor in one neighborhood where everyone lives in a mix, even mixed on a floor or block. Creates more jobs for the 99 percent, due to networking effects.
I thought this was about the Ballard streetcar line coming thru Fremont.
You know, the job creators.
Never mind.
@3 is correct, but you're better with a 10/60/15/15 split of Rich/Middle/Working/Poor in one neighborhood where everyone lives in a mix, even mixed on a floor or block. Creates more jobs for the 99 percent, due to networking effects.
7
I don't understand why the city persists in retaining Yesler Terrace as low income housing in prime Seattle real estate. If we estimate the value of Yesler Terrace (22 acres) at the the value of the land for the Youth Services Center that's being sold as part of King County Proposition 1 (3 acres for $16.5 million), Yesler Terrace is worth about $121 million. This means each unit of affordable housing costs $67k in land alone! Surely the city could find more cost-efficient ways of housing people and then invest the difference in transportation infrastructure that helps everyone rather than just the few that happen to be lucky enough to win the housing lottery.
9
@7: 67K in land costs/unit is cheap as dirt (ha ha). the land is currently owned by the SHA, not the City of Seattle. the SHA's mission is to deliver affordable housing to the poor, but not at a loss. the SHA acts as the master developer, and they need to make it pencil out - the funds are not fungible to be transferred to transpo projects. they are increasing the supply of close-in town subsidized housing at Yesler by leveraging subsidized federal money through the Choice Neighborhood Initiative, which is what Obama changed Hope VI (which is what funded New Holly, Rainier Vista, High Point) into back in 09.
being poor enough to qualify for SHA housing is not "winning the lottery" by any stretch of the imagination.
being poor enough to qualify for SHA housing is not "winning the lottery" by any stretch of the imagination.
10
@7: Thanks for explaining the reasoning behind it. I still find it a bizarre use of funds, but at least it is justified by federal funding restrictions. I share your disdain for calling SHA housing a lottery, but that's what it is, per the SHA's own description, due to the waiting list for assisted housing exceeding supply. We should be somewhat cognizant of the fact that the people that the SHA serves are essentially lucky. In addition, anything that benefits them at the cost of the (much greater) population of people that aren't served by the SHA should be criticized. I wish the focus would be on housing everyone first rather than focusing on how pretty of a neighborhood the already-housed have.
12
They shouldn't spend one thin dime of housing levy monies to replace these units. If this gentrification scheme doesn't pencil out without using other city/public funds, then it should be scrapped.
13
@11, exactly.
And no one is going to be interested in paying "market rate" for an interior apartment in a mid-rise building that has no street frontage at all and opens onto a grassy courtyard (i.e., crime magnet). Not just no street frontage but no street anywhere near the place. These look like slums in the making. They look like Will in Seattle designed them, to be honest.
And no one is going to be interested in paying "market rate" for an interior apartment in a mid-rise building that has no street frontage at all and opens onto a grassy courtyard (i.e., crime magnet). Not just no street frontage but no street anywhere near the place. These look like slums in the making. They look like Will in Seattle designed them, to be honest.
14
A couple of things, just to brighten up the conversation.....
1.) SHA is not a city department. People - including me, on occasion - get it confused with the Office of Housing, but it is its own thing. That doesn't mean there's not "taxpayer money" involved, but let's get our bureaucracy straight, shall we?
2.) There is, to some extent, a Yesler Terrace business district planned. It is to be centered around Yesler and Broadway. I, along with Our Dear Fnarf, do fear the whole thing might be a tad to "garden community" -ish, but it is what it is. And I think that population growth, combined with market forces, will keep it from becoming a redux of "Good Times"
With all that said, I'm just a Municipal Career Gal and Beacon Hill housewife...
1.) SHA is not a city department. People - including me, on occasion - get it confused with the Office of Housing, but it is its own thing. That doesn't mean there's not "taxpayer money" involved, but let's get our bureaucracy straight, shall we?
2.) There is, to some extent, a Yesler Terrace business district planned. It is to be centered around Yesler and Broadway. I, along with Our Dear Fnarf, do fear the whole thing might be a tad to "garden community" -ish, but it is what it is. And I think that population growth, combined with market forces, will keep it from becoming a redux of "Good Times"
With all that said, I'm just a Municipal Career Gal and Beacon Hill housewife...
15
Cabrini Green in Seattle, indeed.
SHA is not governed by anyone. The City Council approves appointments to the SHA Board, but that's the extent of hegemony. I tried to figure out years ago if there was any supervision of their activities, but nope. They get money from HUD, but other than that, they are their own empire.
"20 low-income units (in the 60 and 80 percent AMI brackets)" -- 60+ AMI is NOT low-income.
But since this business has been going on for about 10 years, the Council is probably sick of hearing about it so they'll say OK to the zoning to just to get it over with.
SHA is not governed by anyone. The City Council approves appointments to the SHA Board, but that's the extent of hegemony. I tried to figure out years ago if there was any supervision of their activities, but nope. They get money from HUD, but other than that, they are their own empire.
"20 low-income units (in the 60 and 80 percent AMI brackets)" -- 60+ AMI is NOT low-income.
But since this business has been going on for about 10 years, the Council is probably sick of hearing about it so they'll say OK to the zoning to just to get it over with.
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