CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning; adding a new Chapter 23.58C of the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) to establish the framework for mandatory housing affordability for residential development; and amending Section 23.34.004, subsections 23.40.020.A, 23.76.006.B, and 23.76.032.B, Sections 23.90.002 and 23.90.015, and subsection 23.90.018.C of the SMC.
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WHEREAS, in May 2013 the City Council adopted Resolution 31444, which established a work program for reviewing and potentially modifying the City's affordable housing incentive programs; and
WHEREAS, according to Resolution 31444, the City Council commissioned reports examining national best practices for increasing the availability of affordable housing to identify new strategies for Seattle; and
WHEREAS, in September 2014 the City Council adopted Resolution 31546, in which the Council and Mayor proposed that a Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) Advisory Committee be jointly convened by the Council and the Mayor to evaluate potential housing strategies; and
WHEREAS, the HALA Advisory Committee provided final recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on July 13, 2015; and
WHEREAS, the HALA Advisory Committee recommended extensive citywide upzoning of residential and commercial zones and, in connection with such upzones, implementation of a mandatory inclusionary housing requirement for new construction residential development and commercial linkage fees for new construction commercial development; and
WHEREAS, the HALA Advisory Committee recommended that the mandatory inclusionary housing requirement offer developers the option of building affordable housing or making a cash contribution to fund preservation and production of affordable housing, and that the requirement be implemented upon approval of extensive citywide upzoning of residential and commercial zones; and
WHEREAS, in November 20...
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