LINK: Rainier Beach
Team: Akiksha, Chris, Hyein, Shyla Rose & Steven
Between 2010-2014, Seattle had the 3rd highest percentage of gentrifying census tracts, out of 100 large U.S. cities — 36.6% gentrifying. In 2019, Seattle passed a Mandatory Housing Program, enabling developers to up-zone and build more homes on less land. Although the rule also requires that developers contribute to affordable housing, there is a risk that new development will result in displacement — and this is a serious concern for Rainier Beach.
The Seattle City Council approved up-zoning in 27 neighbourhoods, including Rainier Beach. Cabby Albright, a Rainier Beach resident fears that up-zoning will push her family out of the neighbourhood. Albright doesn’t want to see a repeat of the kind of gentrification that pushed her family out of the Central District.The cost of living in Rainier Beach, as of 2020, is 39% higher than the national average. In fact, in all areas, the cost of living is above the national average. The cost of housing is a whopping 61% above the national average.