Allows much-needed affordable housing and workspace in Stadium District

Today the City Council passed Council President Sara Nelson’s (Position 9) amended “Stadium Makers’” bill, that will now allow the construction of workforce housing and affordable workspaces for Seattle’s small manufacturing businesses, generate living-wage union jobs and improve public safety in a two-block stretch of the Stadium District just south of T-Mobile Park. The final vote was 6-3.   

“Today, the Council took decisive action to address Seattle’s housing affordability crisis and support local entrepreneurs,” said Council President Nelson. “This is a major win for Seattle’s working people, small businesses, and for the historic neighborhoods of Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District. Soon, we will see mixed-income housing near light rail and jobs, while creating new opportunities for small manufacturers in a part of the city that has long been underused and increasingly plagued by serious crime. The Stadium Makers’ District bill is a clear example of what we can achieve when labor, housing advocates, and community leaders work together. I’m also grateful to my colleagues for helping move Seattle toward a more affordable, safer, and economically vibrant future.”

The privately subsidized housing and workspaces will be built using 100% unionized labor and improve public safety through 24/7 activation, garnering the support of a broad coalition of affordable housing providers; labor; local small businesses; and neighborhood groups.

“I’ve been working on industrial lands issues for a long time as a Seattle based Labor leader and have looked at it from all sides,” said Nicole Grant, director of government affairs for IBEW Local 46. “Affordable, union-built, workforce housing is what I think Seattle needs most. It has been incredible to join with dozens of supporters to bring the vision for a Makers’ District near the stadiums to life. With so many construction workers out of work, I am very happy for the people who are going build these homes, and most of all for the makers and stadium workers who are going to live in this vibrant district.”

“This is a monumental step forward. We have an urgent need for more affordable housing throughout Seattle at every level, including workforce housing! The Stadium Makers’ District will not only address our City’s urgent need for housing, but also support local businesses, create jobs, and make the area safer and more vibrant for all,” said Patience Malaba, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County’s executive director.

“We thank Council President Sara Nelson for championing small-scale manufacturers and leading the efforts to create a Stadium Makers’ District,” said Andrea Porter, program director of Seattle Made. “Local makers produce everything from chocolate to cheese and beer to bicycles, help expand opportunities for local ownership, build long-term resilience, and celebrate Seattle’s unique cultural identity. Unfortunately, two to three of these businesses leave the City of Seattle each month, which means a loss of jobs, innovation, and creativity. We are enthusiastic about the Stadium Makers’ District as a unique opportunity to reverse this trend, create commercially affordable spaces that allow for shared infrastructure and community, and support small-scale manufacturers as they grow their companies.”

Background

Council Bill 120933 was introduced on Jan. 14 and initially discussed in the Council’s Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee on Jan. 24. On Feb. 27 the bill passed out of committee in front of a packed chamber by a vote of 3-2.

The South of Downtown (SODO) neighborhood was rezoned in 2023. The area surrounding the two sports stadiums, formally known as the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District, or “Stadium District” for short, is located in the newly designated Urban Industrial (UI) zone, which allows residential uses as long as half of that housing is affordable at 60-90 percent of the Area Median Income and built on site.

Although the Preferred Alternative of the Environmental Impact Statement that accompanied the 2023 industrial lands rezone recommended residential units in the Stadium District, housing currently is allowed everywhere in the UI zone except the Stadium District.

Next steps

The bill will now be sent to the Mayor’s Office for a signature. Due to one of the approved amendments, the law will take effect on June 30.

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