Affordable Housing in Sammamish: A Critical Analysis of Policy, Feasibility, and Impacts Researched and written by: Sammamish Resident - Stephen Frazzini Introduction Sammamish city officials have promoted plans to encourage affordable housing development in the city, positioning it as a solution to broader regional housing inequities. However, a closer, research-driven analysis reveals a stark disconnect between City Hall’s ideological policy ambitions and Sammamish’s on-the-ground realities. This paper critically examines the city’s approach and demonstrates how mismanagement, unrealistic policies, and disregard for local constraints have rendered meaningful affordable housing infeasible in Sammamish. Key factors—from the area median income (AMI) affordability gap and structural infrastructure limitations to financial risks for taxpayers—all indicate that while affordable housing is a pressing need regionally, Sammamish is the wrong place to site such development. I also de...
We believe in a Town Center that honors the values of current Sammamish residents—one that prioritizes responsible growth, fiscal sustainability, safeguards our natural environment to include our wildlife, trees, watershed, creeks, and aquifers, and upholds the integrity, infrastructure, and safety of our city.