FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/6/2013
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Licata’s statement on the passage of South Lake Union rezone
SEATTLE – Seattle City Council passed a package of land use changes that increases the development capacity of the South Lake Union (SLU) neighborhood to accommodate projected future job growth and housing demands.Councilmember Nick Licata issued the following statement following the 9-0 vote:
With today’s vote, the Council significantly increased affordable housing, but not nearly enough to meet South Lake Union’s future need. Estimates are that these SLU upzones may result in over $12 billion worth of development over the next 25 years. Without affordable housing for people working in the city, traffic congestion will increasingly clog our streets, hurting the economy and our environment.
Whether the Council enacts upzones in SLU or any other neighborhood, upzoning adds significant value to private property. Seattle is among the most active real estate markets in the country, and we have a great opportunity before us to get this right. Just saying we built more housing isn’t enough of a solution.
We all suffer if we push more people out of the city. For these reasons, I will seek city-wide incentive zoning, requiring housing be built for our entire workforce, not just those earning the highest wages.