She's Out: Kohl-Welles Says No To $180 Million For Mariners

SEATTLE, WA - King County Councilwoman Jeanne Kohl-Welles has revoked her support for a controversial proposal to give the Mariners $180 million in county hotel tax revenue for upgrades at Safeco.

Kohl-Welles now says she wants a majority of that money to go toward affordable housing. She will attempt to amend legislation in front of the Council that would take money intended for the Mariners and put it toward housing.

In 2021, King County will be able to begin using hotel tax revenue for a variety of programs. State law governs how that money is spent, with a minimum 37.5 percent for affordable housing and 4Culture, and the remaining 25 percent for tourism. The $180 million would come from the tourism funds.

Here's what Kohl-Welles said in a statement Tuesday:

Under the terms of the proposed amendment, 52 percent of the Hotel/Motel Lodging Tax would be dedicated to affordable housing, up from the 37.5 percent in the current plan, which represents an increase of $184 million in new funding for housing.

This additional investment would be funded by a decrease in the tourism portion of the existing plan, including cuts to the Mariners stadium funding proposal, which would be reduced from $190 million to $25 million.

The first public hearing on the $180 million proposal for the Mariners was held Monday morning. Read more about the proposal here.

The Council will hold another public hearing on Aug. 29 and a

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch