Seattle City Wire

The Seattle City Council has honored Samuel Assefa, outgoing director for the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), for his years of service to the city and the contributions made through his experience in urban planning.

Serving with the department since its creation in 2016, Assefa has overseen significant growth in the city, according to a city council press release. In honor of his contributions and recognizing the work he has done in cities including San Francisco and Chicago, the council officially proclaimed March 29 Sam Assefa Day.

“During his tenure, Assefa brought a very important personal perspective through his experiences as an immigrant and refugee after coming to the United States as a teenager fleeing a coup in Ethiopia,” council member Dan Strauss, chair of Seattle's Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee, said in the release. “For these reasons and many, many others, I am pleased to proclaim today, March 29, 2021 to be Sam Assefa Day.”

Strauss also commented on the development and growth that Assefa has presided over during his time leading at OPCD.

“Under Director Assefa’s leadership, OPCD led the implementation of Mandatory Housing Affordability, which will create thousands of desperately needed affordable housing units in Seattle and has already raised more than $66 million for affordable housing,” Strauss said.  

Assefa was also recognized for spearheading the implementation of the Equitable Development Initiative, an effort to support organizations responding to displacement pressures in historically marginalized communities, the release states.

”Director Assefa also helped establish criteria for Mutual and Offsetting Benefits property transfers in response to the community, which has allowed for the transfers of properties like the Central Area Senior Center and Byrd Barr Place in the Central District,” Strauss said.