‘One Table’ report deserves more attention from community leaders
This post originally appeared in the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “Wright on Center” column on September 27, 2018.
Efforts are underway across our region to find and implement solutions to our affordable housing crisis.
Two such examples are the recent work by Seattle Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda and Sally Bagshaw to explore city-owned surplus property as potential affordable housing opportunities and two modular housing pilots from King County Executive Dow Constantine.
Another that has flown largely under the radar since its release in August is the “One Table” report from the office of the King County assessor. That report provided residents in our region with an immediate pathway to address the housing and homelessness crisis by identifying and providing a roadmap to redeveloping vacant public-owned parcels into affordable housing.
In a place known for its task forces and processes, the report should have gained more attention than it did.
The proposals contain concrete solutions attached to real cost estimates that could shelter up to 1,000 individuals. The proposals are prioritized thoughtfully, taking many factors into consideration so that locations recommended for development come with the livability future residents deserve, no matter their backgrounds.
Lastly, the proposals recommend social service operations that are revenue neutral, meaning that voters aren’t on the hook in the long term.
For those experiencing homelessness or those at risk of losing their homes, this means options to help them to find permanent housing. This plan requires partnerships across governments who may be reluctant to lose these parcels.
That is the intent behind the “One Table” task force formed by Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus in January 2018. The idea was to bring leaders in business, nonprofit, community and government sectors from across the region together and create new partnerships to find solutions to our housing affordability and homelessness crisis.
In a city like ours, the talent pool is unparalleled. Private sector experts in design and construction are everywhere.
The assessor’s “One Table” group worked with Washington-based Blokable to design housing options that are cost-effective, innovative, and workable in our neighborhoods. Other organizations, like Compass Housing Alliance, that participated in the development of the report are experts in operating and providing resident services that can be matched with newly developed properties.
The report to “One Table” on available government-owned sites identified 26 parcels that can be redeveloped for affordable housing, some quite easily.
The report also identified a handful of vacant commercial properties, sitting unused, but potentially available to be converted into shelters. Those, like the vacant parcels, are simply lying in wait while thousands go without shelter. With this action plan in hand, we have a pathway to get started right away.
What comes next isn’t yet clear. It doesn’t carry the weight of legislation or executive order. We hope this isn’t shelved but instead sparks discussion from our political leaders who are gearing up for their annual budget seasons.
We know the costs, we know that these solutions can work, we know the team to assemble, and we know that in the long term, it will be revenue neutral.
With this information, we can rally around immediate and permanent solutions to the housing crisis, find success, and build visible momentum for the next project — and the one after that.
It’s not a blank check, and it’s not pie-in-the-sky. This is how the process should work. Now let’s get it done.
Photography by Jelson25 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17278172