News Release: REALTORS® support church efforts to create housing in Seattle
SEATTLE, Washington (July 16, 2021) – Building much-needed affordable housing requires the skillful use of partnerships and incentives, not 11th hour regulations that limit the use of scarce urban land for housing, according to leaders from the Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR).
Reacting to the City of Seattle’s last-minute amendments to a bill to help faith-based organizations create housing, REALTORS® suggested the changes were misguided and could derail some plans. Broker Eddie Chang, a vice president on SKCR’s board of directors, said Seattle’s measure, signed by the mayor on July 9, could pose insurmountable challenges for the faith-based groups the bill was designed to benefit – especially Black churches, and their potential construction partners.
“To be viable, housing developments need to pencil,” stated Chang, a managing broker at Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty. He said REALTORS® share concerns expressed by three faith-based organizations and a University of Washington Dean that asked the Council to reconsider the proposed amendments. The groups preferred to have Seattle’s requirements be consistent with state laws.
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