Advocacy Update – April 2026
This Month in Advocacy: City of Seattle tackles Centers & Corridors; Push for MHA reform; AIA joins coalition to protect Kennedy Center
Seattle Steps Forward into Next Phase of Comprehensive Plan
Last week, the Seattle City Council heard the first round of public comment on the Centers and Corridors legislation, the next step in implementing the One Seattle Plan. AIA Seattle sent a letter to Council on March 24 outlining recommendations for strengthening the proposal. Staff and members rallied with housing advocates and provided testimony in support of expanded centers and upzoning around corridors, simplified development standards, a study on Mandatory Housing Affordability structure, and public transparency to housing production.
The Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan will now consider amendments to the legislation based on feedback received and present those for public comment on June 4.
City Council’s efforts coincide with momentum at the executive level to tackle affordable housing. At the Housing Development Consortium’s Annual Celebration on March 31, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay presented an energized aligned vision for speeding up housing production. Executive Zahilay signed an Executive Order to open 500 units of shelter and housing in 500 days, as well as establish a work group to explore a potential countywide affordable housing levy. Mayor Wilson discussed her office’s plans to accelerate remaining phases of the Comprehensive Plan and compliance with HB 1491, Washington’s transit-oriented development bill passed in 2025.
Stakeholders Revisit Mandatory Housing Affordability
The City of Seattle implemented Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in 2017 as a means of funding affordable housing across the city. The program requires developers to include a certain amount of income-restricted affordable housing in their project or pay a fee to support affordable housing production.
A 2025 study evaluating the last five years of MHA found that project feasibility has steadily declined since implementation, with MHA fees contributing to stalled development. Stakeholders, including both affordable and market-rate housing developers, are pushing for a reevaluation of MHA to dismantle barriers to housing production, with some advocating for a temporary reduction in fees (also known as a “holiday”).
AIA Seattle is committed to the development of plentiful, quality, diverse, and sustainable housing options for current and future residents of Seattle. Recognizing the need to fund affordable housing while addressing barriers to all types of housing coming online, AIA Seattle is advocating that City Council study alternative MHA structures.
AIA National Joins Coalition to Protect Kennedy Center
AIA joined a broad coalition of leading preservation and architecture groups to file a lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C. AIA took this step to require the Trump administration to comply with historic federal preservation laws and secure permission from Congress before implementing plans to alter the John F. Kennedy Center. You can read more about the coalition and filing here.
Articles of Interest
How Portland is getting affordable housing built | The Washington Post
Why single-stair reform leads to more livable, adaptable infill | CNU
Zahilay Touts Idea of King County Housing Levy | The Urbanist
Developers want rollback of Seattle affordability program as construction stalls | The Seattle Times
Could light rail across Lake Washington make Seattle the next Copenhagen? | KUOW
Prompted by State Order, Mercer Island Inches Toward Housing Changes | The Urbanist
