Construction

Sunday Video: Renovating an Abandoned High School into Apartments

Purchasing an abandoned high school for $100,000, three developers carved out a lovely 31 unit apartment building in the Pittsburgh suburb of Homestead, Pennsylvania....

A Skyline by UW – U District Development Spree Part 2

When we last covered highrise development in the U District, there were only eight highrise projects somewhere along the permitting and construction process. That...
Wallingford Community Council proposed 2017 Comprehensive Plan amendment to remove more than 50 blocks and only park from the urban village. (City of Seattle)

Urban Village Boundary Contractions? No Thanks.

In my Sightline piece from May, I described how homeowners in Wallingford have worked for decades to block housing via downzones, increasing development burdens, and...

Soft Opening for a Hard Won Trail

It’s been forty years since the first segments of the Burke-Gilman Trail opened, replacing parts of Seattle’s railway infrastructure with bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfares....

Route 40 Bus Lane Installation Starts, Aiding Riders During I-5 Work

The targeted upgrades intended to speed up buses and increase reliability have been in the works since 2021, and come just in time to aid riders during upcoming I-5 closures. They have faced considerable opposition from business groups along Route 40.

Mass Timber Social Housing on Public Land FTW

This past spring, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 2382 --a bill that allows public agencies to utilize surplus public land for affordable housing development. The...

Northgate’s Construction Spree Is Just Starting

In the past two decades, development in and around Northgate has, for the most part, been a bit sleepy. Every few years a new...
A sketch of the Pacific Tower parking lot TOD project showing lots of trees and greenery and the 160 apartment homes at the base of the distinctive orange brick Pacific Tower building in Beacon Hill. Image by Weber Thompson.

Seattle Public Utilities Is Exacting Impermissible Capital Improvement Fees

Project requirements suggest a pattern of double charging, which nearly sunk a 160-unit affordable housing project in Beacon Hill. Navigating the Seattle permitting system is...