Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly recently joined some of the largest city
mayors in King County – representing communities outside Seattle – in a joint
declaration that supports substantially increasing the supply of quality
housing for all households in our region.
The
declaration states the mayors will consider opportunities to advance housing affordability
in the region, including but not limited to:
- Making available at no cost, at deep discount, or for long-term lease, under-utilized publicly-owned properties
- Updating zoning and land use regulations to increase density near current and planned public transit
- Reducing or waiving parking requirements in transit corridors to help reduce overall development costs
- Reducing or waiving impact and other development-related fees · Streamlining and accelerating the permitting process for low- and middle-income housing projects to improve developer certainty
- Providing tax exemptions and credits to incent low- and middle-income housing development.
- Updating building codes to promote more housing growth and innovative, low-cost development.
The declaration was released along with news that
Microsoft is pledging $500 million to help advance affordable housing solutions in
the Puget Sound region.
“I am excited and hopeful about Microsoft’s announcement today,” Pauly
said. “Issaquah, like other Eastside cities, needs innovative partners to
address the lack of affordable housing. While construction has continued, very
little is affordable to middle-income and lower-income wage earners. I am
grateful for community partners like Microsoft. Thank you for standing up!”
Issaquah is committed to diversifying housing options for its community
through several initiatives, including a proposed mixed-use,
transit-oriented development (TOD)
project called “Trailhead,” the
development of a citywide housing strategy and the addition of inclusionary
zoning in the
Central Issaquah Plan.
“Private and public sector partnerships, like the proposal our city is
working on for a transit-oriented development in our central area, combine
resources and opportunities from both the public and private sectors to build
the housing options that match our community needs,” Pauly said.