Seattle Housing Levy

What is the Seattle Housing Levy?

Since 1986 the Housing Levy has been the cornerstone of funding for affordable housing in Seattle, creating and preserving over 11,000 affordable rental homes and over 1,000 homeownership opportunities throughout the city. The Housing Levy has also provided long-term and consistent operating, maintenance, and services support for over 1,400 affordable homes. For nearly 40 years, Seattle residents have consistently supported this critical resource, with the most recent Housing Levy in 2016 receiving a voter approval rate of over 70%.

Why is the City of Seattle developing a proposal to renew the Housing Levy?

Housing Levy funds work together with other local funds, including proceeds from the JumpStart Payroll Expense Tax and Mandatory Housing Affordability program, to help the Office of Housing and our partners address needs across the entire affordable housing ecosystem. City of Seattle investments are creating more affordable homes than ever, with nearly 6,000 new affordable rental and for-sale homes slated to open in the coming years. However, the need for affordable and available homes in Seattle is greater than ever. With the 2016 Housing Levy set to expire at the end of 2023, the City of Seattle is now developing a proposal to renew it.

For information about upcoming opportunities to learn about and comment on the City of Seattle's Housing Levy renewal proposal, please view "What's Happening Now" tab.

In August 2016, Seattle voters approved a $290 million Housing Levy with ambitious affordable housing goals. After five years, the 2016 Housing Levy has exceeded its goals around rental housing production, rental housing preservation, and homeownership, and is on track to meet the remaining goals by the end of 2023.

Summary of 5-Year Progress Toward 7-Year Housing Levy Goals (2017-2022)

Seattle Housing Levy Oversight Committee

With the passage of the Housing Levy, voters also approved the establishment of an oversight committee, for the purpose of monitoring the progress of Levy programs, recommending funding policies, and annually reporting to the Mayor, City Council, and the public.

The 13 members of the Housing Levy Oversight Committee, all confirmed by City Council, are selected as follows:

• one City employee appointed by the Mayor
• one City employee appointed by the City Council
• six community members appointed by the Mayor
• five community members appointed by City Council

The current Housing Levy Oversight Committee members include:

Ann Melone, Chair, U.S. Bancorp
Beth Boram, Beacon Development Group
Cara Kadoshima Vallier, Office of Mayor Bruce Harrell
Colin Morgan-Cross, Mercy Housing Northwest
Damien James, The Northwest School
Dan Wise, Catholic Community Services
Denise Rodriguez, Washington Homeownership Resource Center
Erin Christensen Ishizaki, Mithun Architects
Joel Ing, Edge Developers
Patience Malaba, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County
Pradeepta Upadhyay, InterIm CDA
Traci Ratzliff, City Council Central Staff
Vallerie Fisher, Southeast Seattle Resident

High-Level Housing Levy Renewal Timeline

Public and Stakeholder Engagement

Between February 2022 and January 2023, the Office of Housing convened multiple groups and meetings to take input on the Housing Levy proposal from subject matter experts, stakeholders, and the public. During this period, 38 formal public comments were received both as testimony at public meetings and in writing.

For a complete summary of public and stakeholder engagement, please see the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy Community Engagement Report.

Housing Levy Leadership Group

• 3 Meetings
• 14 Members representing Housing Levy organizational stakeholders

Focus Groups

• 3 Focus Groups: Homeownership, Rental Housing, Equity
• 36 Organizations engaged representing Office of Housing Levy funding recipients

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

• 3 Meetings with opportunities for public testimony: 10/28/2022, 11/18/2022, 12/16/2022
• 20 Committee Members representing broad cross-section of affordable housing sector, expertise, and other stakeholders
• 2 Draft Proposals reviewed and revised, based on Committee Member and public feedback

Housing Levy Open Houses

• 3 Open House events held at Housing Levy-funded buildings and virtually:
  • DESC’s Hobson Place, 12/6/2022
  • Northaven Senior Living, 12/14/2022
  • Virtual Open House, 1/5/2023
• Members of the public were invited to learn about the Housing Levy and share their thoughts and desires for the renewal proposal.

For recordings of TAC meetings and other materials, see the Background Info and Resources tab.

On March 30, 2023, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced his proposal for a $970 million dollar Housing Levy to replace the current one expiring at the end of 2023. If passed by Seattle City Council, the Housing Levy could go to voters for approval in November 2023. The Mayor’s proposal was informed by 11 months of community and stakeholder engagement conducted by the Office of Housing from February 2022 to January 2023. This proposal development process included the convening of a 20-member Technical Advisory Committee comprised of subject matter experts, including private and non-profit housing developers and service providers, regional and statewide public agencies that address housing and homelessness, and representatives for workers in affordable housing. For a complete summary of public and stakeholder engagement, please see the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy Community Engagement Report. For more information and details of the proposal, see the Mayor Harrell’s full announcement: Mayor Bruce Harrell Announces Proposal for $970 Million Housing Levy to Address Seattle’s Growing Affordable Housing Needs.

Council President Debora Juarez has established a Select Committee on the 2023 Housing Levy, which will review Mayor Harrell’s proposal to renew the Housing Levy, hold public hearings, and deliberate on potential amendments to the Mayor’s proposal. Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda will serve as chair and Councilmember Lisa Herbold will serve as vice-chair of this Select Committee.

The first meeting of the Select Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5 at 9:30am and will be held in Seattle City Hall, Council Chambers. More information about the Select Committee, including meeting dates and times, can be found on the Committee’s website: Select Committee on the 2023 Housing Levy.

• Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meetings
  • TAC Meeting #1 - October 28, 2022, 1-3pm
    • Meeting Agenda
    • DRAFT 10/28/22 Initial Proposal
    • Meeting Recording* (Password: z!d5dr1z)
      *Recording started after welcome, land acknowledgement, and first public commenter.
  • TAC Meeting #2 – November 18, 2022, 1-3pm
    • Meeting Agenda
    • DRAFT 11/18/22 Revised Proposal
    • Meeting Recording*
      *Due to an audio problem at the beginning of the meeting, Director Winkler-Chin’s welcome and land acknowledgment, as well as the meeting facilitator’s hybrid meeting guidance and introduction of the public comment period were not captured. Audio starts at 5:50.
  • TAC Meeting #3 – December 16, 2022, 1-3pm
    • Meeting Agenda
    • HYPOTHETICAL Levy Proposal Scenarios
    • Meeting Recording* (Password: *3KWgf^i)
      *Meeting recorded after welcome and land acknowledgement. 
• The Council-adopted Housing Levy Administrative & Financial (A&F) Plan, and the attached Housing Funding Policies, guide the use of Housing Levy funds, as well as other fund sources administered by the Office of Housing.
• The Office of Housing publishes annual Housing Levy Reports, which describe how levy funds have been used each year. Click here to view all available Housing Levy Reports.