Roots to Roofs bill is a key win for removing barriers to affordable housing development in Seattle
Seattle is in the midst of a major housing crisis. Our city has a critical shortage of affordable housing, and developers face substantial obstacles to building more. Expensive land, high construction costs, complex financing, operational challenges, and restrictive zoning all serve to restrict our ability to build sufficient housing to meet our growing need. We must build more affordable homes, especially for lower-income households.
Introduced by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Roots to Roofs is a 35-project pilot program that works to remove barriers to building more affordable housing, while also including additional density bonuses for areas of the city that have historically had racially restrictive covenants. Under Roots to Roofs, community-based organizations may partner with a housing developer and receive a height and density bonus—creating a cost-neutral pathway to new community-led affordable housing across Seattle.
The bill, passed unanimously by the City Council on September 23 and signed into law by Mayor Harrell on September 26, is an important step towards increasing the supply of affordable housing in Seattle through removing the barriers to development.
Key impacts include:
- Mission-driven developers may build more homes in more places. It allows additional height, more floor area, and relief from costly requirements such as design review and parking mandates.
- At least 25 percent of homes under the pilot must be affordable to low-to-moderate-income households for 50 years (80% AMI for rental, 100% AMI for homeownership). Only projects led by nonprofits, housing authorities, or public development authorities are eligible, and they must have a controlling interest. (Note: Developments may exceed these minimum thresholds, and 100% affordable housing developed by a nonprofit, housing authority, or PDA is eligible.)
- Equitable development uses like affordable commercial space, cultural space, and community gathering places, are fully supported.
- This time-limited pilot project will help up to 35 affordable housing developments—5 per Council district—move forward and maximize the potential of individual sites.
Seattle’s housing crisis can only be solved by increasing the supply of affordable homes. By removing some of the barriers that hinder development and empowering mission-driven organizations with deep community ties and a long-term commitment to serving low-income families and individuals, Roots to Roofs provides our city with another important tool to maximize development sites and turn planned affordable homes into a reality.
See below for a table of the height and floor area ratio (FAR) bonuses available for affordable housing projects using the Roots to Roofs pilot program, and the final legislation for additional details.
