1 West Seattle organization shares in mayor’s $100 million affordable-housing announcement

West Seattle is getting one percent of the $100 million in affordable-housing investments announced today by Mayor Jenny Durkan.

The lone local recipient on the list is Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association. As explained in the full announcement, part of the $100 million goes to new construction and part goes to preservation, and the latter is where DNDA comes in. Though the specific amounts weren’t mentioned in the announcement, we followed up for the specifics, and Office of Housing spokesperson Robin Koskey tells us DNDA was awarded $1,000,394. That will be invested in 70 apartments that are part of DNDA’s portfolio:

So what will the money buy? We asked DNDA executive director David Bestock. He tells WSB, “Rehab at these 4 properties” — Centerwood, Delridge Heights, Holden Manor, and Cooper School – “will include site improvements, exterior systems, interior maintenance, and specific to Cooper, abatement of foundation settling. We are thrilled to have the support of (the Office of Housing) to improve and preserve our affordable housing properties for residents of Delridge. This is a huge win for our residents, for our organization, and for our neighborhood.”

The funding announced today, for DNDA and the other organizations, comes from several sources, including the Housing Levy approved by voters last year, incentive-zoning payments, the sale of surplus properties, and $29 million in bonds approved by the City Council (in a plan sponsored by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold).

Matt December 18, 2017 (11:32 pm)

This is money from the Housing Levy—-one of the 65 HALA recommendations.

Glad to see it being put to good use in West Seattle.

CMT December 20, 2017 (7:40 am)

Actually the housing levy has been around for 30 years (not created by HALA). It was recently increased though.
- matt December 20, 2017 (10:16 am)
  
  From pg 16, HALA Recommendation R-3:
  
  “The current $145 million Seattle Housing Levy runs through 2016. The City should renew and double the size of the Seattle Housing Levy to provide more local resources to build and preserve housing for low-income people and to provide operating subsidies at the lowest income levels.”
  
  Approving a new Housing Levy was one of the most important recommendations of HALA. It means thousands of new Affordable dwellings, and support for existing ones. You can try to rewrite history, but the urbanists you often denigrate are the ones who mobilized public support and got it passed. This is a win for Seattle, and the least you could do is acknowledge who championed it.
  - CMT December 20, 2017 (11:36 am)
    
    My point is simply that it is likely that the housing levy would have been renewed (as it has been for 30 years) with or without HALA, so crediting it as some sort of HALA creation is misleading. Not disagreeing that the housing levy is important.
  - CMT December 20, 2017 (11:54 am)
    
    PS people other than urbanists and HALA supporters (whatever that even means since someone can be in favor if some proposals but not others) are supportive of both the housing levy and the creation of affordable housing.

Chris December 19, 2017 (8:16 am)

Hopefully current residents will not be kicked out or rent raised due to this. No, we do not live there…just thinking of the people.

Wes C. Addle December 19, 2017 (2:38 pm)

Shouldn’t we maybe get more than 1% though??

WSB December 19, 2017 (2:44 pm)

The one bit of info I don’t have is, whether anyone else from West Seattle applied. DNDA is unique as an affordable-housing provider. DESC, which had a couple non-WS projects in this funding, built Cottage Grove Commons on Delridge a few years ago, with city funding in the mix. The only other major potential affordable-housing project in the works in the area is still on the drawing board and outside the city, the one proposed for the White Center Food Bank site at 8th/108th. – TR

Mike December 20, 2017 (6:54 am)

How many people will this help house? We were already spending over $20k / homeless person on ‘fixing’ the homeless crisis. How many people are we helping continue living in affordable housing and getting homeless into affordable housing with this $100M? I really want to know. Who’s getting this money, how much really goes to support those in need vs. pad the pockets of businesses and others? I want to know where our tax dollars are going, how effective it’s being used. We keep seeing an increase in taxes and little and often negative results.

Sorry, comment time is over.