Miller Amendment to Be Discussed Today

Tacoma's Neighborhoods and Housing Committee will be meeting today, August 7th, in room 248 in the Municipal Building from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Why should you care?  Today's agenda includes a discussion of the removal of the “Miller Amendment” from the Consolidated Housing Plan.  The Miller Amendment prevents city funds, or city-directed funds, for low income housing in downtown.  Have we turned a corner?  Are the high end condos changing the demographics of downtown to such a degree that the so-called Miller Amendment should go?  The city is looking to replace the Miller Amendment with a regulations or incentives that mandate that 20% of a project is for affordable housing.  Is this the right balance for our city?

Rec’d via email:

Downtown Tacoma has an exceedingly high percent of low income housing and far above the recommended of “integrated housing” recommendations of 15-20 percent low income housing units. The above figure include both existing units and units under construction in 2005.

Downtown also has a very high concentration of poverty in relation to other areas in the city. 

As an example, the entire Zip Code of 98402, encompassing much of downtown has a low income housings rate of 46.7 percent, over double the appropriate rate for integrated housing.

The intersection of 9th and Broadway sits in close proximity to the Winthrop Apartments, Olympus Hotel and the Colonial Square Apartments.  Within a 2 block radius, the low income housing rate is estimated to be 94 percent, a rate over 4 times the target rate for an integrated neighborhood.  In order for this area to be balanced and achieve an 80/20 ratio between market rate and low income housing, an additional 1168 market rate housing units would have to be build in this area. 

Link to the Neighborhoods and Housing Minutes from June 5th (pdf) with Miller Amendment discussion.

Update: Link to the New Tacoma Neighborhood Council Report (pdf)