Seattle Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee Meeting - June 10, 2026

The Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee of the Seattle City Council met on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 2:05 PM in the Council Chamber at City Hall. Chair Dionne Foster presided. Councilmembers Eddie Lin, Joy Hollingsworth, Alexis Mercedes Rinck were present; Councilmember Debora Juarez was excused. The meeting covered two agenda items: a briefing and discussion on updates to the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy Administrative and Financial Plan and Housing Funding Policies, and a briefing, discussion, and vote on proposed charter amendments for the Seattle Social Housing Developer.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of the agenda was adopted without objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ron Horning opposed the proposed social housing developer charter amendments, arguing that they could allow the developer to request eminent domain, which he said currently exists under SMC 3.110.050. He urged the committee not to forward the resolution until that provision is removed, stating it threatens all property owners in Seattle.
• Alicia Ruiz, Advocacy and Policy Manager for Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties, expressed strong support for the updates to the Housing Levy Administrative and Financial Plan. She cited the “Affordable Housing Tripod” of MHA, Jumpstart, and the Seattle Housing Levy as the formula enabling Habitat to build in Seattle, noting that roughly two-thirds of their pipeline serving over 1,000 people is in the city. She highlighted that higher per-unit funding caps expand who can be served, such as home health aides, and urged swift passage while also calling for more overall funding through the budget process.
• Marta Kiran, Community Engagement Manager for the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), raised concerns about the proposed changes, stating that rent assistance, stabilization funds, and urgent operating funds are not covered. She noted that long-standing affordable housing nonprofits are in crisis and considering selling portfolios. She requested that the committee direct the Office of Housing to host two public meetings prior to accepting the proposed changes, arguing that the level of crisis demands noticeable changes.

Discussion Items

• CB 121218 – Housing Levy Administrative and Financial Plan & Housing Funding Policies (Briefing and Discussion): Presenters Kelli Larsen and Nathan Antonio from the Seattle Office of Housing walked through proposed updates. Changes were categorized into technical updates (e.g., increasing per-unit development subsidy caps for homeownership by $30,000 per unit, clarifying operating maintenance and services (OMS) subsidy language, and specifying AMI restrictions per fund source), procedure clarifications (e.g., aligning language with current practice on prevailing wage, NOFA review, and operating stabilization grants), and minor edits (e.g., meeting accessibility standards, removing obsolete provisions, and updating definitions). No vote was taken; the committee plans to hold a vote at a future meeting, with amendment requests due by June 15, 2026.
• Res 32209 – Seattle Social Housing Developer Charter Amendments (Briefing, Discussion, and Vote): Presenter Jennifer LaBrecque from Council Central Staff reviewed proposed amendments to the developer’s charter, which were recommended by the SSHD Board on May 5 and May 21, 2026. Amendments include allowing the developer to form single-purpose entities (LLCs or corporations), base rental rates on more than just operating costs to enable cross-subsidization and debt repayment, use properties as collateral for conventional bank financing, create condominium structures to sell non-housing portions, establish a process for board appointment by building residents once buildings are operational, eliminate the requirement for an independent auditor (as the state auditor is mandated), add definitions, and make other clarifications. Councilmember Lin asked whether the changes grant new powers such as eminent domain; staff clarified that the amendments only clarify existing powers under municipal code. Council President Hollingsworth noted it was an up-or-down vote. No amendments were permitted as the resolution matched the board’s recommendation.

Key Outcomes

• Res 32209 passed unanimously (4-0), with the committee recommending adoption by the full City Council at its June 16, 2026 meeting.
• CB 121218 will be brought back for a vote at a future committee meeting (likely June 24, 2026, which will be held virtually due to the FIFA World Cup).
• Chair Foster noted that the committee will hear the item again and thanked presenters and staff.