As discussions surrounding the Seattle Comprehensive Plan continue, Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck is pushing to accelerate the development of affordable housing in previously restricted areas of the city.
Rinck’s initiative, termed the ‘Roots to Roofs’ proposal, builds upon a pilot program introduced by former Councilmember Tammy Morales.
While maintaining the core objectives, Rinck’s plan significantly expands development capacity for builders willing to include affordable units in their projects.
Designed as a pilot program, Roots to Roofs would facilitate up to 35 housing projects across Seattle to benefit from increased density allowances.
Developers would be required to allocate at least 25% of their planned housing units as affordable for low-income households, with these commitments lasting for up to 50 years.
Additionally, the proposal includes density bonuses for properties historically bound by racially restrictive covenants, which were formerly legal terms preventing certain racial and ethnic groups from living in specific neighborhoods.
Rinck’s legislation is set for its first committee discussion on Wednesday.
“The spirit of this legislation is to ensure more community-driven affordable housing, particularly in areas that have not seen similar growth,” Rinck stated in an interview with The Urbanist.
She emphasized that affordable housing is critically needed and highlighted the increasing difficulty in developing it.
“The city can take actions to simplify the process of making these projects viable, and beyond the necessary staff time, this initiative won’t cost the city anything,” Rinck added.
The previous Connected Communities pilot, introduced by Morales, focused on collaboration between new housing projects and community organizations, with incentives for setting aside affordable units.
Despite its potential benefits, Connected Communities encountered skepticism, in part due to Morales being its sponsor.
In contrast, Roots to Roofs has gained traction with the support of Land Use Committee Chair Mark Solomon, who co-sponsors the proposal.
His involvement may help sway other centrist councilmembers to lend their support to the initiative.
For a project to qualify under the Roots to Roofs framework, developers must collaborate with non-profit organizations, public housing authorities, or public development authorities, including the Seattle Social Housing Developer.
Projects in less dense Neighborhood Residential (NR) zones could rise to four stories, while projects in Low Rise (LR) zones could achieve heights of up to six stories, depending on the specifics of the zone and the anticipated density increase.
In Midrise (MR) zones, projects could reach heights of nine stories.
Roots to Roofs projects would also benefit from enhanced floor-area ratio (FAR) allowances, which dictate the maximum amount of building space permitted on a given lot.
Developers could increase their FAR from 27% in denser commercial zones to potentially 260% in NR zones.
If a property is discovered to have a history of racially restrictive covenants, the FAR could be quintupled, vastly increasing the potential for development and doubling the increase proposed in Connected Communities.
The University of Washington’s Racial Restrictive Covenants Project has identified thousands of properties with such covenants, and it would be the responsibility of property owners to validate the existence of past restrictions.
Areas previously subjected to these covenants are largely some of Seattle’s most desirable and exclusive neighborhoods today.
Beyond residential use, additional FAR incentives are available for projects that incorporate equitable development elements, such as arts and cultural spaces, child care centers, educational facilities, and other commercial uses, including maker spaces and cafes.
By enhancing development capacity, the city aims to maximize the impact of limited Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) funding.
Rinck noted that her decision to revive Connected Communities was partly due to delays in advancing zoning changes in Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, which won’t be fully adopted until early 2026.
The environmental review for Connected Communities had already been completed but was stalled without progress.
“We don’t want that prolonged timeline to hinder our efforts in establishing more housing,” she said.
“By implementing something like Roots to Roofs in the coming months, we can initiate the design phase of projects and begin the permitting process.”
While the Roots to Roofs initiative has been under development for several months, its progress was delayed due to an extended legal review from City Attorney Ann Davison’s office.
The bill includes a ramp-up period allowing up to 160 days for the city to set guidelines on how EDI projects will qualify for the program and how a Community Preference policy will be integrated.
This policy would give priority in tenant or homebuyer selection to populations historically at risk of displacement.
Despite the delays, there remains a possibility that Roots to Roofs could be implemented before significant zoning changes occur in the Comprehensive Plan.
Connected Communities faced skepticism mainly from three councilmembers: Maritza Rivera, Cathy Moore, and Tanya Woo, who Rinck succeeded on the council in November.
With Moore set to leave the council, the political dynamics may shift favorably for Roots to Roofs.
Moore’s council-appointed replacement is anticipated to join the Land Use Committee by late July, just ahead of a scheduled vote on Roots to Roofs.
This upcoming vote poses uncertainty, as well as the potential for impactful support from members like Dan Strauss, who was among the few councilmembers to favor Connected Communities.
While councilmembers can advance legislation absent a committee recommendation, lack of support from the committee often serves as a significant hurdle against a proposal.
Although the city council has devoted considerable attention to land use proposals from Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, few substantial measures aimed at promoting affordable housing have originated from the council itself since the failure of Connected Communities.
The success or failure of Roots to Roofs will serve as a critical measure of the current council’s willingness and ability to pursue ambitious strategies addressing the ongoing housing crisis in Seattle.
image source from：theurbanist
