Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell wants to spend $80 million over the next four years on an “anti-gentrification and reparations fund,” aimed at countering some of the racist covenants and historical redlining that limited housing opportunities for the city’s Black residents.

The proposal lacked specifics and would require approval from the Seattle City Council, but Harrell said it would go toward helping families with down payments and general housing costs.

“We have to recognize some realities about this city,” Harrell said, after reading several examples of racist and unenforceable covenants still on the books in Seattle. “We have to acknowledge how unaffordable Seattle has become.”

Harrell made the announcement as part of a slow rollout of his proposed 2026 budget, which he’ll lay out in

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