If an initiative does not have enough valid signatures, petitioners can get an extra 20-day “signature procurement,” allowing them to collect the remaining signatures needed, according to the Seattle city charter.
“We welcome innovation and share many of the same values as the backers of the Initiative. These include the belief that every person deserves a safe, affordable home, and that we need a scale of public investment in affordable housing that lives up to this value.
HDC also said that those backing the initiative have “failed to outline how the social housing proposed under the initiative would be financed as described, or to identify a viable funding source.” The consortium said Seattle already has a potent system for skillfully developing and operating affordable homes.
Part of the Initiative text reads: “Social housing is publicly owned, publicly financed, mixed-income housing, removed from market forces and speculation, and built with the express aim of housing people equitably and affordably. Under public control and oversight, social housing is sustainable and remains affordable in perpetuity.”