Three West Seattle properties are among 23 citywide that are accused of having shown “evidence of housing discrimination” in testing conducted for the city. We asked for the list of accused properties after receiving this news release from the city Office for Civil Rights:

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) has filed 23 director’s charges of illegal discrimination against 23 different property owners after a new round of fair housing testing showed evidence of housing discrimination.

“Housing discrimination is real in Seattle – not something that just happens in other places,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. “These test results tell us that we still have work to do to achieve fair housing in Seattle.”

The testing revealed that prospective renters experienced different treatment from Seattle landlords across all three categories that were tested: familial status, disability, and use of a federal Section 8 voucher.

To address housing discrimination citywide, the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) will reach out to landlords and renters, including working with community partners to hold workshops for both landlords and the public.

Testing discovered evidence of different treatment

SOCR conducted a total of 97 tests, focusing on three different groups protected under fair housing laws.

Test findings revealed:

· Familial status (32 tests): 2 charges / 31% of all tests showed evidence of different treatment.

· Disability (33 tests): 6 charges / 64% of all tests showed evidence of different treatment.

· Section 8 voucher (32 tests): 13 charges / 63% of all tests showed evidence of different treatment.

SOCR also filed 2 additional charges (national origin and marital status) based on information that emerged from two of the tests.

SOCR contracted with the Northwest Fair Housing Alliance in Spokane to coordinate the testing, which was conducted by telephone and e-mail. To test for hearing disability, testers used Washington State’s free Telecommunication Relay Service. Testers posed as prospective renters, so the different treatment they experienced depended on the information they received from landlords and the questions they were asked.

For familial status, some landlords provided less information about rental units to testers who said they had children then they did to testers who indicated they did not have children. One manager advertised for “professional tenants only.” Testers found that some landlords’ occupancy standards (the number of people legally allowed to occupy units of specific sizes) were too restrictive: for example, requiring a maximum of two people for a 2-bedroom apartment.

In the disability tests, some landlords refused to allow a service animal, refused to waive pet fees, or hung up repeatedly when they received a call from the Washington State relay service.

Some landlords refused to respond to applicants who mentioned using a Section 8 voucher or simply turned away Section 8 applicants. Other landlords refused to consider adjusting their leasing policies to consider Section 8 applicants.

“We have filed 23 charges where the differences in treatment were undeniable,” said Patricia Lally, Director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. “These test results are not isolated incidents – they demonstrate patterns of behavior that have profound impacts on people’s lives.”

SOCR sent letters to all tested property owners and management companies informing them of their individual test results, and has offered to meet with managers whose test results showed some evidence of discrimination to evaluate their rental process and to help them improve their policies and procedures.

Fair housing outreach to address housing discrimination

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights will launch a new round of outreach and public engagement to address housing discrimination in Seattle, including free training to property management staff on request, and working with community partners to provide fair housing workshops for organizations and the general public.

“It is unfortunate that SOCR testing revealed that some renters face additional barriers to housing, but this also illustrates an opportunity for the City and rental housing industry to partner in offering fair housing education for landlords,” said Rental Housing Association of Washington (RHAWA) Executive Director, Melany Brown. “We believe that organizations such as RHAWA can be an asset to the city, and raise the standards for the entire industry.”

How fair housing testing works

Fair housing testing uses paired testers posing as prospective renters to measure differences in the services they received from leasing agents, as well as information about vacancies, rental rates, and other conditions. The matched pairs of testers have similar rental profiles in every respect except for the protected class being tested – that is, family status, disability and use of a Section 8 voucher. Test sites were selected at random from all geographic areas of the city, and were conducted from September to December, 2015.

The Office for Civil Rights receives $50,000 in City funding to conduct testing on an annual basis. In-person paired testing in 2014 revealed discriminatory housing practices based on race, national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The three West Seattle properties on the list of 23 are Willow Court at 6901 Delridge Way SW, City Watch Apartments at 4744 41st SW, and a house at 5018 35th SW. We don’t yet have details of specific allegations against those properties; if you have something to report about them or any other properties, please get that information directly to the Office for Civil Rights, 206-684-4507.

P.S. The “director’s charges” process is explained starting on page 11 of this document.

Buying and/or selling real estate? This morning we’re welcoming a new sponsor, Kathy Crotts Real Estate; new sponsors are offered the chance to introduce themselves, and here’s what they’d like you to know:

The Kathy Crotts Real Estate team is excited to be a new sponsor on the West Seattle Blog. Our team is the dynamic duo of Kathy Crotts and Tatum Spalding, bringing together more than 25 years of real estate sales and marketing experience in the greater Seattle area.

From Arbor Heights to Admiral, Kathy Crotts Real Estate has been guiding clients through the ins-and-outs of today’s real-estate market. We’ve weathered the ups and the downs of real estate and set clear strategies for our buyers and sellers alike. Our clients become more like family, and that’s who matters most to us.

Kathy Crotts is a lifelong Seattle-area resident who is looking to make West Seattle her permanent home. Tatum Spalding enjoyed 2 years on Beach Drive before purchasing in the Fairmount neighborhood, where she’s been for nearly 10 years now. Both love the quality and pace of life West Seattle provides, and look forward to helping you navigate the West Seattle real-estate market.

Read more about Kathy and Tatum at www.kathycrotts.com.

We thank Kathy Crotts Real Estate for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

As you’ll hear the city Office of Housing director Steve Walker explain toward the start of our video, last night’s second West Seattle briefing on the proposed Housing Levy expansion/renewal was scheduled for a variety of reasons – because it was requested, because the first one was in a small room, and because on that previous night the slide projector didn’t work. So if you couldn’t be there last night, but have questions about the levy, which is expected to go to a vote this August or November – watch and/or listen. Many of the questions/concerns focused on whether this is doing enough to help, given the cost, and also on how increasing property taxes are affecting payers. You’ll find lots of info about the levy here.

The next step for how HALA – the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda – happens in our city might include you, if you’re interested in being part of a Community Focus Group. City planners asked us to help get the word out that they’re accepting applications for two more weeks, and are looking for people from all over the city. Full details are on the FAQ page that’s attached to the application form – find it here. It explains what the groups will do, how much time they’ll take, what kind of commitment you’d need to make, and it stresses that they’re looking for people across the spectrum of Seattleites, including renters as well as homeowners. That page also notes, “A key focus of the Community Focus Groups will be land use and zoning changes that could affect neighborhoods.” Apply by February 26th if you’re interested.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Last Wednesday night’s Southwest District Council meeting included the only scheduled West Seattle discussion of the proposed $290 million, 7-year housing-levy renewal/expansion – though levy details had only been announced hours earlier. As reported here, city reps at the meeting were asked for a second West Seattle meeting, with more lead time – and it’s just been announced by Department of Neighborhoods district coordinator Kerry Wade:

The meeting will be hosted by the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon Street) and will take place on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 (6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). A flyer will be created next week announcing the meeting details.

Bring your questions and comments. As explained Wednesday night, the city hasn’t finalized the levy details yet, nor has it decided whether to put the levy before voters in August or November.

ADDED: Here’s the official flyer for the meeting.

5:20 PM: If your phone rings at 6 pm, tonight or Thursday – here’s what it might be about:

Join us for the Mayor’s telephone town hall to talk about the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, or HALA for short. We will be calling over 50,000 people in their homes today and Thursday, but if you want to make sure you are on the call, just call the number below. You will have a chance to ask questions and learn more about the HALA recommendations.

Tuesday, February 2nd: (855) 756-7520 Ext. 31029# at 6 p.m.

Thursday, February 4th: (855) 756-7520 Ext. 31028# at 6 p.m.

City info about HALA is here. The Morgan Community Association hosted a West Seattle-focused briefing two weeks ago; our video of that is here.

5:35 PM: In related news, the mayor’s office just announced that details of the Housing Levy renewal will be out at a noon event tomorrow. Considering that the first official community discussion of the levy is at 6:30 pm tomorrow here in West Seattle, seemed the announcement was going to have to be made by Wednesday afternoon.

If you weren’t able to get to last night’s presentations about the city’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) – organized by the Morgan Community Association with a West Seattle-wide focus – here’s the video we recorded so you can watch/listen. Both presentations were by city staffers – above, Jesseca Brand presented an overview of HALA (57 minutes); below, Nick Welch talked about backyard cottages and mother-in-law apartments (49 minutes), aka Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The presentations were preceded by a short MoCA business meeting, with some updates on neighborhood projects/issues – separate story about that later.

The recently renovated apartment complex over Jefferson Square, now known as Elan 41, has just gone on the market. The listing price: $24.5 million. Property records show the 78-unit complex last changed hands for a higher price, $27 million, in 2005. In 2009, we reported on an agreement for Seattle Public Schools – which owns the land on which Jefferson Square, and everything above it, is built – to sell the apartments’ “air rights” – we’re checking to see if that deal was ever completed. (WSB file photo)

P.S. One of the flyers accompanying the Elan 41 listing reveals a recent sale along Avalon – which in turn explains the building’s name change; we’d noticed recently that Vue at 3261 Avalon Way had become Marq. County records don’t show a sale yet, but the flyer from Elan 41 listing agent McQuaid Real Estate says the 111-unit building completed in 2014 sold last month for $38.5 million.

You’ve heard about it, read about it, and might still not be entirely sure what’s proposed in HALA – the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, announced by Mayor Murray in July after months of work by an advisory committee. The City Council will be considering its recommendations, and changes to them, in the months and years ahead. Get a closer look at this month’s Southwest District Council meeting, 6:30 pm Wednesday at the Sisson Building (home to the Senior Center of West Seattle), with city rep Jesseca Brand. Also on Wednesday’s agenda, the Seattle Nature Alliance, officer elections, and a holiday potluck – all welcome.

If you’ve been thinking about a backyard cottage – here’s a chance to find out more about the project and the process, courtesy of longtime WSB sponsor Ncompass. From Ncompass’s Stefan Hansmire:

Ncompass is offering a free workshop about planning, designing and building backyard cottages for rental income on Thursday, November 12th, from 7-9 PM, at West Seattle Office Junction, 6040 California Ave SW, Suite B.

Learn about the history of backyard cottages in Seattle, current City codes and regulations, financing options, planning and design considerations, return on investment, and how to select an architect and builder.

RSVP at stefan@ncompass-llc.com

(WSB photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“It is not shared housing, a treatment facility, or a halfway house. It is simply an apartment building where all tenants commit to a sober lifestyle and all drug and alcohol use, possession, or consumption is prohibited.”

That’s how the new owners of the waterfront Beachwood Apartments at 4027 Beach Drive SW (map), a company called Seattle Sober Living, explain what they’re doing with the 10-unit building. After we received questions from readers who were curious and/or concerned after rumors started circulating in the community, we contacted SSL to request an interview, and got a quick, affirmative reply. The company bought the building earlier this year and stresses that it will be operated as an apartment building – albeit one whose tenants must meet a particular condition.

“Founded by local families, Seattle Sober Living is a local company focused on providing housing options that support individual tenants’ sobriety,” SSL’s David Gould told WSB in an interview conducted via e-mail. “This effort is deeply personal for the organization’s founders, as each have been touched in a profound way by loved ones struggling with addiction. As such, Seattle Sober Living’s focus is on helping everyday people – our family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors – to successfully live drug and alcohol free.”

Gould says this type of housing is “almost impossible to find in Washington State.” (The website says that was a problem for the company’s five founding families, who “had to send their loved ones away to find a safe and sober environment.”) But, he emphasized repeatedly in our exchange, this remains an apartment building, with units being leased to tenants – not a halfway house or transitional housing:

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