Green Spaces &
New Neighbors.
Share The City.
Latest updates
Read our current statement about the Talaris parcel from October 2022 and learn about past events and learning opportunities.
The lack of affordable places to live, fueled by rising rents and home prices, has pushed many people out of the city, and some people out of stable housing altogether. We have an unprecedented opportunity with the Talaris property to share 18 acres of trees & wetlands above the long-buried Yesler Creek for new community open space and to welcome new neighbors.
What is Talaris?
The former Talaris Conference Center is 18 acres in Laurelhurst nestled between UW, University Village, Children’s Hospital, Laurelhurst Elementary, and Laurelhurst Playfield.
Because it is single family zoned, the developer’s only option is to turn it into 65 suburban-style luxury homes. The plans call for space for 316 cars!
Ironically, the current plan means a loss of hundreds of trees, while Seattle Council is re-dedicating itself to preserving our tree canopy. Current home prices in Laurelhurst average 1.7 million dollars. This new luxury development won’t help make our city more affordable.
What can I do?
There are a number of things you can do to help support affordable housing development in Seattle! Take a look at the actions to the right to see where you can help.
Action 1
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for our mailing list.
Action 2
Please read these two important documents to understand the context, history and complexity of land use planning in Seattle:
Comprehensive Plan Update Racial Equity Analysis of Seattle 2035 and Urban Village Strategy
Seattle Planning Commission’s NEIGHBORHOODS FOR ALL (2018 report)
Please reach out and let us know your thoughts!
Affordable Talaris encourages Seattleites
to take the following actions:
Visit Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, a land base and community center for Native Americans in the Seattle area.
Visit the Duwamish Longhouse, and if you’re able, pay rent through Real Rent Duwamish.
Read the Disaster Gentrification report and learn about the policy recommendations from communities most impacted by the housing crisis. Rainier Beach Action Coalition, the Multicultural Community Coalition and Puget Sound Sage studied the risks of disaster gentrification created by the COVID-19 pandemic and propose what our local governments can do now to protect and stabilize our BIPOC communities.