Housing Affordability in Downtown

Seattle continues to experience significant population growth, with one out of every 10 new Seattleites choosing to live downtown. And while downtown has added more than 31,000 residential units since 2010, there is still tremendous demand, which drives up the cost. Keeping Affordable housing in Seattle has long been a priority for DSA. In fact, the Downtown Seattle Association helped establish the Seattle Housing Group in 1980. This organization eventually became Bellwether Housing, the Puget Sound region’s largest nonprofit affordable housing provider.

Today, we continue to be a steadfast advocate for the creation of more affordable and market-rate housing downtown. DSA is a founding member of Seattle for Everyone, a coalition of market-rate and affordable housing developers, environmentalists, social justice advocates and labor organizations. This coalition continues to champion affordable housing across the city. Additionally, DSA endorsed and supported the largest housing levy in Seattle history, which passed in the fall of 2023, raising $970 million for affordable housing across the city.

If you have questions, email: policyandadvocacy@downtownseattle.org.