The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a plan on Sept. 22 that would see 108 to 125 new units of market-rate housing and 85 units of housing for the formerly homeless built on surplus military property at Fort Lawton.
"This is a conceptual plan for submission to the DOD (Department of Defense) and HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development)," said councilmember Richard McIver, whose Housing and Economic Development Committee prepared the resolution. The resolution included language that capped the number of units for the formerly homeless at 85, he said.
But if the mortgage meltdown changes the feasibility of the project, the resolution calls for the city to renegotiate the proposal with the feds, McIver added.
"Most of the neighbors (around Fort Lawton) seem to be OK with it," he said of comments heard at his committee hearings, "but I won't say happy."
"This is a unique opportunity to provide much needed homeless housing for families and seniors in a mixed-income community," Mayor Greg Nickels said in a press release following the city council vote.
[[In-content Ad]]
