By Alia Sinclair

Discussion at Tuesday Night’s (Feb. 14, 2023) SeaTac City Council Meeting was dominated by whether to adopt an ordinance amending Rental Housing Protections in the city of SeaTac.

Public Comments

Residents were lined up on Tuesday night to discuss their feelings about the Rental Housing Protections agenda item to be discussed by the City Council. Two commenters were against the bill, citing the complications it will pose to small landlords who are struggling to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of regulations, while many other commentators urged the council to adopt the ordinance, citing the increasing strain of rent prices further destabilizing communities, interfering with residents’ ability to stay employed, and the fear of being priced out of their communities.

SeaTac Adopt-A-Street Program

1.8k bags of litter were collected from highways and ramps last year, bringing the total to over 26,000 pounds collected by city staff. Adopt-A-Street volunteer Terry Williams was given an award for his efforts in keeping his section of street clean above and beyond expectation.

Rental Housing Protections Amendment

The Renter’s Protection ordinance establishes regulations related to renters’ agreements between landlord and tenants. This ordinance was drafted using the City of Burien as a model, and the components of the ordinance are summarized in the graph below.

A motion to postpone the agenda bill until the Mar. 14 Council Study Session to allow time for community engagement was proposed by Deputy Mayor Negusse and seconded by Councilmember Egal. After a lively discussion, the motion to postpone was put to a vote and passed 5-2.

Watch the replay of Tuesday night’s council meeting here.

Alia Sinclair is a writer residing in SeaTac. She is passionate about the arts and connecting people through the written word. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Patchwork Mosaic, a magazine for creatives.