Yearly Archives: 2025

King County is capping school impact fees on multifamily projects, hoping to lessen the burden on homebuilders. The move sparked a debate on how to help overcapacity school districts while avoid undue burdens on builders.

Cities around the region are starting to grapple with greater accountability for creating more affordable housing, in the wake of a far-reaching decision impacting Mercer Island. Bainbridge Island and Clyde Hill provide an early look at those conversations.

With a mandate to design its buildings for an ambitious green housing standard called “Passive House” while maintaining affordability, Seattle's newly funded social housing authority has an important point to prove.

Parking reform has become a national movement, aimed at reducing housing costs. With a nudge from state law, Shoreline joins the trend to support urban development and a shift toward greener transportation options.

While the ability to run trains across the floating bridge continues to be a major impediment to getting the full 2 Line running, other issues along the existing 1 Line could pose even greater challenges to maintaining consistent service.

Take the tenth installment of The Urbanist's crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be.

Bellingham is ranked the fourth most unaffordable housing market in the nation, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The city must embrace pro-housing policies: easing zoning restrictions, cutting red tape, and investing in mixed-income development, writes Bellingham City Council candidate Andrew Reding. 

Last week, Mayor Bruce Harrell cleared a hurdle standing in the way of King County's plan to build a crisis care center in Seattle, as he issued a letter of conditional support, outlining an acceptable launch plan from his perspective. The County now must work to meet his terms to open the Capitol Hill facility on time in 2027.