Speaker 4: Agenda Item to cancel book 119 186 Transferring jurisdiction over real property located at Mercy Street and Second Avenue from the Seattle Center Department to the Office of Housing, the committee recommends the bill pass.
Speaker 3: Cast member worse.
Speaker 1: Thank you. This is a item that we've been working on for well over a year, effectually known as the K BLOCK. This is a transfer of land at Mercer and second, from Seattle Center to Office of Housing to facilitate the development of affordable housing on the city's surplus land. The property is known as as I shared as the K BLOCK. In addition to this bill today, we also pass ordinance 125406 that established an agreement to develop the rest of the cable up with a mixed use housing development that will include public open space. This new affordable housing site will be developed through an RFP process led by the Office of Housing. The RFP and the RFP process is set to continue from March through August. The Office of Housing will later return to council with legislation to dispose of the property for the development chosen through the RFP evaluation. The committee recommends passage of the bill, but would also note that the committee recommend AH. The Committee recognizes via the Uptown Arts and Culture Coalition that this is directly situated or located in the city's center theater district. And this housing unit, this is this project is expected to create 70 to 80 units of housing. And again, the committee recommends passage of the bill.
Speaker 3: Thank you very much. Any further comments? Councilmember Skeeter.
Speaker 4: Thank you, Mr. President. And I want to thank the chair who shepherded this through. As a resident of Lower Queenan and somebody who visits Uptown often I see the need for housing. I understand from the Office of Housing that there are currently zero units of housing that are set aside for folks experiencing homelessness in Uptown. I think that there is definitely a need for permanent housing and I know that our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness in the area very much need this site. It's an unmet need and I think that the case that gives us the opportunity to potentially begin filling this need. I also understand, as Councilmember Suarez alluded to, that the Arts and Culture Coalition is very interested in how we identify additional housing for those who are artists in our community to also have affordable housing. I also agree that this is an unmet need throughout our city. So as we move forward, as we implement the recommendation, as you see in the ordinance in front of us, I think we it's it's incumbent upon us to continue to look for more opportunities for folks who are at 60% AMI who are artists in our community to be able to have affordable housing as well. And I'll be looking at this project in conjunction with Councilmember Suarez and the council here to make sure that we move forward and monitor the site, make sure that it's meeting the highest unmet need, and look forward to continuing to see rapid expansion of housing throughout our city just like this.
Speaker 3: Excellent. Thank you for those comments. No further comments. Please call the role on the passage of the bill.
Speaker 1: Macheda I. O'Brien.
Speaker 0: Hi.
Speaker 1: Sergeant Bagshaw. Gonzales, i. Herbold, i. Johnson. Suarez, President Harrell. Hi. Nine in favor and unopposed.
Speaker 3: Bill passes and the chair will sign it. Please read items three, three, five into the record.
AN ORDINANCE transferring jurisdiction over real property located at Mercer Street and Second Avenue from the Seattle Center Department to the Office of Housing.