Council President Bruce Harrell and Councilmembers M. Lorena González and Debora Juarez, issued the following statement regarding Tuesday’s action by the King County Executive and County Council to issue revenue bonds totaling $87M, which will be backed by future hotel/motel revenues:
Council President Bruce Harrell (District 2, South Seattle) said, “I thank the King County Executive and Council for a tremendous investment in affordable housing, including $3 million towards the Southeast Seattle Economic Opportunity Center and the Othello Station. We are making real progress in pre-development planning and funding to build a shared cultural space in District 2, which will integrate education, job training, and workforce housing. A total amount of $14.7 million is being allocated to South Downtown and South Seattle, including $8.7 million dedicated to the Historic South Downtown Public Development Authority.”
Councilmember M. Lorena González (Position 9, Citywide) said, “I’m excited that the Council’s action will allocate specific funding for the Othello and Northgate areas. The $10 million infusion for Northgate will help promote the development of equitable transit-oriented development in an area of the city that is undergoing changes with the expansion of light rail and plans for additional affordable housing. The $3 million for Othello builds on funding previously provided by the City and the State of Washington to bring the Opportunity Center to fruition and helps revitalize an important core in the Rainier Valley. I’ve been supportive of the efforts in both North and South Seattle and look forward to partnering with the County on creating much needed affordable housing in the City.”
Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5, North Seattle) said, “Northgate is growing, but along with many positive changes Northgate is also seeing more economic displacement. The County’s commitment will help us to realize our vision of a transit-rich, high-opportunity Northgate which remains affordable to everyone. Yesterday’s decision to leverage more resources also increases the number of ‘all-county’ housing dollars in county’s fund. We have several more competitive transit-oriented development opportunities in District 5 which should be considered in addition to the $10 million already dedicated to Northgate.”