Skyway Coalition
About Us
Using an anti-racist lens, with a goal to achieve equity for Skyway residents most impacted by systemic oppression and discrimination, Skyway Coalition will address the historic lack of investment, inequitable policies and systems that have directly impacted our urban unincorporated King County community.We will advocate for policies and funding that support anti-displacement strategies, affordable housing, and economic development. We strive for community-led development and growth that also supports and protects our racial/ethnic/socio-economic diversity.Skyway Coalition’s purpose is to work together by engaging our community in advocating for resources, projects, and policies that will enable the Skyway community to create a vibrant, walkable, ethnically diverse, and civically engaged community that involves the collective voice, wisdom, and expertise of its residents and business owners in ongoing civic decision-making. We commit to engaging our community in an ongoing manner to inform the goals, priorities, and vision of our coalition and the activities we undertake to advance those goals.Skyway Coalition will work together to advance equitable community development and support community-driven priorities for community development including, but not limited to:
- Affordable housing
- Economic development
- Education
- Transportation and mobility
- Preservation of the diversity of culture and character of our community
- Healthy connected neighborhoodsSkyway Coalition is committed to building a collaborative model for community development through relationship building and trust building among coalition members, and strengthening community connections more broadly within the community. We will also explore a more formalized collective impact model.
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Contact Us
Reach out to us about partnering on Skyway initiatives or to get involved with our coalition work!
Thank You
We love your passion for Skyway!
We'll be in touch.
SAMPLE SCRIPT (for phone calls or public meetings)Aim for a 90-second comment
Hello, my name is [state your full name], and I’m a Skyway resident [or I grew up in Skyway, or my family lives in Skyway, etc.].[Include a personal statement about what you love about Skyway, why it’s important to you, etc.]I’m glad to see proposed investments in Skyway in this budget. After decades of racist, purposeful disinvestment in a community that is majority people of color, I urge you to RETAIN the proposed investments for Skyway and ADD funding for affordable housing.Affordable housing is critical for our community so that any improvements and investments that we make will benefit people who live in Skyway now, and who want to continue living in Skyway for years to come.King County has NEVER made an investment in affordable housing in Skyway. This is systemic racism. Gentrification has displaced and destroyed communities of color in Seattle. You have the power to prevent displacement in Skyway by investing in affordable housing NOW, before it’s too late. We cannot wait for another budget cycle to begin an affordable housing project in our community--we must start now.I urge you to ADD a significant investment for the purchase of land in Skyway for affordable housing. And I ask you to RETAIN the proposed investments that are currently in the budget. Remember Skyway.Thank you.
| Skyway Community Demands | King County Exec's Proposal |
|---|---|
| $15 million to purchase Skyway property for affordable housing. | $0. We want King County to include an investment in affordable housing in THIS BUDGET CYCLE to prevent displacement for Skyway residents. |
| $55 million for a multi-service Skyway Community Center for programming and social services. | $10 million. After asking for a community center since 2008, this is a start, but it’s NOT ENOUGH. We want an increase and a commitment that King County will work with us to advocate for state and federal funds. |
| $5 million/year in ongoing operating funding for Black and POC community in Skyway to manage/oversee a multi-service Skyway Community Center. | $0. We want King County to add in an investment for the Black and POC-led community organizations who are managing this project. |
| Allocate 12% of Skyway-based marijuana tax revenue to Skyway Coalition to support both youth services and programming and local economic development work. | $4.6 million of marijuana excise tax revenue from the Sheriff's Office to community-based programs. This is a good start, but it does not yet guarantee how much will come directly to Skyway. We need to keep the pressure on AND ensure Skyway community members are at the decision-making table. |
| Increase public transportation options, including expanding Metro lines and Via to Skyway. | 32,000 hours. We support this as a down payment and ask King County Council to retain this investment and work with community to determine how to distribute these additional services. |