When I first returned to Capitol Hill in 2022, five years after graduating from Seattle University, I barely recognized parts of my college neighborhood. Gone were some of the distinct buildings – small businesses, hole-in-wall bars, and mom-and-pop shops – that gave our community its off-beat character. In their place stood homogenous, rectangular rows of characterless complexes with apartments that I would have never been able to afford as a student or as a new graduate. 

The cost of living in Cap Hill has sharply increased since my time on campus. During my senior year in 2017, I teamed up with four classmates to rent a townhouse just a few blocks from campus. My friend and I split one of the bedrooms, each paying $640 per month. This arrangement allowed us to experience off-campus living and would be impossible with today’s rental costs. 

In fact, Seattle college students and recent graduates are disproportionately impacted by steep rents. According to the 2022 Census, 64% of Gen-Z renters pay more than 30% of their income towards rent – and this number is rapidly growing. In comparison, only 44% of renters ages 25-64 pay one-third of their income for housing. 

Whether you commute to classes due to the hefty price tag of Seattle living, or you simply wish to move off-campus as an upperclassman, living in Cap Hill is increasingly out of reach for students who already struggle to afford a private university education. 

Our housing crisis isn’t a natural disaster. It’s the direct result of policy choices that have created an artificial housing shortage while systematically underinvesting in affordable housing. 

But there’s hope on the horizon, and we need your help to achieve it. 

This February, Seattle voters have the opportunity to take meaningful action by voting “Yes” on Proposition 1A, a people-powered proposition for affordable housing. 

Proposition 1A, endorsed by The Urbanist and Seattle’s most progressive legislators, received over 30,000 signatures from Seattle voters. It would create publicly-owned, permanently affordable social housing by implementing a modest tax on the wealthiest corporations in Seattle. It would generate approximately $53 million per year to build mixed-income housing that students and faculty could actually afford.

Our choice couldn’t be clearer: We can continue allowing the wealthiest corporations to price gouge, or we can take decisive action to ensure that future generations of students, faculty, staff, and alumni can afford to live in the neighborhood that many of us call home.

I was very fortunate to be able to afford to live on and close to campus during my time at Seattle University. As an alumnus, I want every student to have the opportunities that I did. 

As Seattle housing costs become increasingly inaccessible, I urge every eligible voter on campus to vote for Proposition 1A and to return your ballot by 8pm on February 11. If you’re 18 or older and not yet registered to vote in Seattle, you can vote in the election as long as you register before February 3rd.

Vote for Proposition 1A. The future of Cap Hill and our campus community depends on it.