Home > Incentive Programs > Non-Residential Bonus

Downtown
South Downtown
Qwest Field – “North Lot”
South Lake Union
Applying for Bonus Funding

Downtown

Zones: DOC-1, DOC-2, DMC 240 and DMC 340

Extra floor area: Chargeable floor area in excess of the base FAR

Payment option:

• Payment amount: $18.75 per gross square foot of bonus floor area for affordable housing and $3.25 per gross square foot of bonus floor area for childcare.
  
  
• Timing: Cash payments must be paid prior to issuance of any building permit after the first building permit for the development, and before any permit is issued for construction activity other than excavation and shoring.
  
  
• Location of low-income housing and childcare: Location of housing and childcare funded with cash payments will be prioritized in the following order:
  
  
  1. Within the Downtown Urban Center
  2. Within an Urban Center adjacent to the Downtown Urban Center
  3. In the city within 0.5 mile of a light rail or bus rapid transit station on a route serving the Downtown Urban Center
  4. In the city within 0.25 mile of a bus or streetcar stop on a route serving the Downtown Urban Center

Performance option:

• Amount: Housing serving moderate-income households must equal 15.6% of gross square feet of bonus floor area.
  
  
• Location: Affordable housing provided to earn bonus floor area must be within the development unless the OH Director approves an alternate location in an eligible area (see Code for requirements).
  
  
• Income limits: 80% AMI for rental and 100% AMI for owner-occupied units.
  
  
• Affordability term: 50 years beginning at issuance of final certificate of occupancy for the project using the bonus.
  
  
• Housing may be newly constructed, converted from nonresidential use or renovated.
  
  
• An agreement between the housing owner and the City must be executed and recorded prior to issuance of the building permit for the housing, but no earlier than three years prior to the issuance of a MUP for the project that uses the bonus floor area.

Code references:

• SMC 23.49.012: Downtown — Bonus floor area for voluntary agreements for housing and childcare
• SMC 23.49.011: Downtown — Floor area ratio
  

For more information contact Laura Hewitt Walker, (206) 684-0429.

South Downtown

Zones: IDM, DMR, DMC

Extra floor area: Chargeable floor area in excess of the base FAR

Payment option:

• Payment amount: $18.75 per gross square foot of bonus floor area for affordable housing and $3.25 per gross square foot of bonus floor area for childcare.
  
  
• Timing: Cash payments must be paid prior to issuance of any building permit after the first building permit for the development, and before any permit is issued for construction activity other than excavation and shoring.
  
  
• Location of low-income housing and childcare: Location of housing and childcare funded with cash payments will be prioritized in the following order:
  
  
  1. Within the same neighborhoods where the developments using the bonus non-residential floor area are located;
  2. In the city within 0.5 mile of a light rail station or bus rapid transit station on a route serving the neighborhoods where the bonus non-residential floor area are located; and
  3. In the city within 0.25 mile of a bus or streetcar stop on a route serving the neighborhoods where the bonus non-residential floor area are located.

Performance option:

• Amount: Housing serving moderate-income households must equal 15.6% of gross bonus non-residential floor area.
  
  
• Location: Affordable housing provided to earn bonus floor area must be within the development unless the OH Director approves an alternate location in an eligible area (see Code for requirements).
  
  
• Income limits: 80% AMI for rental and 100% AMI for owner-occupied units.
  
  
• Affordability term: 50 years from the later of the date when the agreement between the housing owner and the City is recorded or the date when the low-income housing becomes available for occupancy.
  
  
• An agreement between the housing owner and City must be executed and recorded prior to issuance of the first building permit for the project using the bonus non-residential floor area, and in any event before any permit for any construction activity other than excavation and shoring is issued.

Code references:

• SMC 23.58A.024: Incentive Provisions — Bonus nonresidential floor area for low-income housing and child care
• SMC 23.49.011: Downtown — Floor area ratio

For more information contact Laura Hewitt Walker, (206) 684-0429.

Qwest Field – “North Lot”

Zones: PSM 85-120

Extra floor area: Chargeable floor area in excess of the base FAR

Performance option (no payment option):

• Amount: Housing serving moderate-income households must equal 17.5% of net bonus floor area.
  
  
• Location: Affordable housing provided to earn bonus floor area may either be provided within the area defined on Map A of SMC 23.49.180 where additional height is permitted or on one or more alternate lots within South Downtown, subject to approval by the OH Director and criteria outlined in SMC 23.49.181.
  
  
• Income limits: 80% AMI for rental and 100% AMI for owner-occupied units.
  
  
• Affordability term: 50 years beginning at issuance of final certificate of occupancy for the project using the bonus.
  
  
• A declaration signed by the applicant and any other owners of the development that will include the bonus floor area and owner(s) of the lot(s) where the affordable housing will be located must be executed and recorded as a condition to issuance of the MUP.
  
  
• An agreement by the owner(s) of the lot(s) where the affordable housing will be located must be executed and recorded prior to issuance of the first building permit for a structure using bonus floor area.

Code references:

• SMC 23.49.181: Downtown — Bonus floor area for affordable housing in the PSM 85-120 zone
• SMC 23.49.180: Downtown — Additional height in the Pioneer Square Mixed 85-120 zone

For more information contact Laura Hewitt Walker, (206) 684-0429.

South Lake Union

Zones: Area shown on Exhibit 23.50.051.A

Extra floor area: Chargeable floor area in excess of the base FAR

Payment option:

• Payment amount: $18.75 per gross square foot of bonus floor area for affordable housing and $3.25 per gross square foot of bonus floor area for childcare.
  
  
• Timing: Cash payments must be paid prior to issuance of any building permit after the first building permit for the development, and before any permit is issued for construction activity other than excavation and shoring.
  
  
• Location of low-income housing and childcare: Housing and childcare funded with cash contributions must be located in the South Lake Union Urban Center unless the OH Director approves a site in an alternate location (see Code for required circumstances and requirements).

Performance option:

• Amount: Housing affordable to/occupied by moderate-income households must equal 15.6% of gross square feet of bonus floor area.
  
  
• Location: Affordable housing provided to earn bonus floor area must be located in the South Lake Union Urban Center unless the OH Director approves a site in an alternate location (see Code for requirements).
  
  
• Income limits: 80% AMI for rental and owner-occupied housing.
  
  
• Affordability term: 50 years beginning at issuance of final certificate of occupancy for the project using the bonus.
  
  
• Housing must be newly constructed, converted from nonresidential use, or renovated in a residential building that was vacant as of Dec. 1, 2007.
  
  
• An agreement by applicant must be executed prior to issuance of building permit for the development that will include the bonus floor area.

Code references:

• SMC 23.50.052: Industrial — Bonus floor area for housing and childcare
• SMC 23.50.051: Industrial — Additional floor area in certain IC-zoned areas in the South Lake Union Urban Center

For more information contact Laura Hewitt Walker, (206) 684-0429.

Applying for Bonus Funding

Cash contributions by commercial developers for affordable housing are made available through the Office of Housing’s Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA) program.

For more information, contact Tom Mack, (206) 684-0339 regarding multifamily rental housing or Quinnie Tan, (206) 684-0346 regarding ownership housing.

Inquiries regarding bonus funding for childcare facilities should be directed to Ken Astrein, Human Services Department, (206) 684-0377.