If you are new to these conversations regarding the Mayor’s housing agenda, you may want to start with my first blog post on Wallyhood for some background.
 
The City Council is now considering legislation that will enact the Mandatory Housing Affordability program, known as MHA-R (the “R” is for “residential”). MHA is a part of HALA (the Mayor’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda).  The MHA program will enact “upzones” (i.e. it will allow extra development) in neighborhoods throughout the city, and in return will require developers to include “affordable” housing units in new buildings in the upzoned areas.  Or, instead of building affordable units, developers may pay an “in-lieu” fee that will be used by the City to fund affordable housing. This exchange – upzones in return for included affordable units or an in-lieu fee – is known as the “Grand Bargain."  The City Council is currently discussing the framework legislation that would allow for this program (but does not include the actual upzones).  The schedule for the MHA-R framework legislation is as follows:
 
June 21st: Public Hearing at 9:30 AM at City Council chambers in City Hall
July 8th: Planning, Land Use and Zoning (PLUZ) Committee discussion
July 19th: possible PLUZ vote
July 25th: possible Full Council vote
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Read More for analysis and reason why your attendance is so important ....

It always drives us crazy that the city has important meetings in the summer.  But this can’t be avoided; you should really pay attention to the upcoming HALA Focus Group meetings.   These groups have been created to advise the city on the specifics of the Grand Bargain as it will “appear” in your neighborhood.  Beginning in late May, they will be discussing zone wide changes to support the Grand Bargain in terms of height and density changes and possibly where those might be located within the neighborhoods.  

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Queen Anne Community Council - Land Use Review Committee and Planning Committee​

16 May 2016  6:30 - 9:00 PM
Queen Anne Community Center
1901 1st Ave West, 98119
 
We will devote our entire May LURC meeting to a community discussion of the Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA).  We have invited city officials and urban planners to attend and address our questions and register our concerns. 
 
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