The “Invisible” Displacement on 39th Ave SW

The City of Seattle’s latest maps for the One Seattle Plan are built on a metric called the Displacement Risk Index (DRI). On paper, Morgan Junction is labeled as “Low Displacement Risk.” But for those of us living on 39th Ave SW, this label feels like a statistical blind spot that could have permanent consequences for our street.

What the City Misses: Micro-Displacement

The DRI examines large census tracts but misses what happens at the block level. When the city proposes Lowrise 2 (LR2) zoning for a residential mid-block, they aren’t just “adding units”; they are creating a massive financial incentive for Physical Displacement.

• The Teardown Incentive: LR2 zoning on 39th Ave makes the land more valuable than the homes sitting on it. This triggers the demolition of older, “naturally affordable” houses. These are the homes that currently house young families, teachers, and seniors; the very people Mayor Wilson’s “Anti-Displacement Framework” is supposed to protect.
• Economic Displacement for Seniors: For our long-term neighbors on fixed incomes, a “Low Risk” label doesn’t prevent property taxes from spiking when their lot is sold to build a 3-story multi-unit complex. This is “Economic Displacement”; forcing people out not by choice, but by cost.

Conflict with the “Anti-Displacement Framework”

The City’s own Anti-Displacement Framework (updated Jan 2026) states that growth should be “tailored” to prevent the loss of community. Yet, by pushing LR2 zoning onto the narrow, sloped interior of 39th Ave SW, the City is doing the opposite:

1. It destabilizes the “residential buffer” that keeps the Morgan Junction core livable.
2. It replaces diverse, existing housing with high-end, market-rate condos that do nothing for the city’s “social housing” goals.

A Call for “Ground-Truth” Planning

We aren’t asking the City to stop growing; we are asking them to respect their own data. If the goal is to prevent displacement, the City should maintain Neighborhood Residential zoning on 39th Ave. This allows for “middle housing” (like backyard cottages or triplexes) without triggering the massive teardowns and luxury massing that LR2 brings.