Despite the failure of statewide legislation that would have significantly altered zoning laws in the state of Washington, fierce debate on housing and development policy continues to be a political focal point in Seattle. While public discourse tends to focus on the merits of doing away with single-family zoning, the real question lies in how we develop density in a way that centers equitable and just access to affordable housing. There is no question that Seattle’s path through its housing crisis involves significant building, but, as I would like to illustrate in this article, not all development is good development.

I propose an article that takes a closer look at two development projects in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood. Once one of the only places in which Black Washingtonians could buy property, the CD has seen its demographics become significantly whiter and wealthier in the last few decades. Within a couple blocks of each other, two recent construction projects changed the faces of their neighborhood in dramatically different ways.

In one, the developers approached their project with the goal of extracting as much profit from the property as possible. In the other, a community land trust ensured that the affordable housing structure would serve and uplift those with ties to the neighborhood. The impact has been disparate, and it provides some insight into how city officials should be looking at development as the conversation on zoning continues.

To introduce myself, up until a few months ago, I worked as a Housing Retention Advocate at a social services organization rooted in the Central District. While there, I made connections with folks at the Africatown Community Land Trust, which is one of the organizations I hope to cover. As I learned more about their Liberty Bank Building project, I also watched as a modest home nearby was purchased by a corporate luxury developer and turned into two separate houses that sold for over $1 million each. The juxtaposition struck me, and I believe it is a story worth telling.

Please let me know if (publication) is interested in this story.