Affordable housing plan to go before Seattle voters

SEATTLE (AP) — Next year people in Seattle will decide whether the city should set up a public developer to create affordable housing.

The Seattle Times reports the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to allow King County Elections to put the proposed Initiative 135 on the ballot of a special election on Feb. 14, 2023.

If I-135 passes it would create a public development authority, called the Seattle Social Housing Developer, to construct homes and take over existing properties using government and philanthropic funding to create renter-governed housing.

Those who favor the initiative say housing would be protected from rental market forces in one of the nation’s most expensive cities.