Economics

Mayor Durkan with Ferris wheel and Seattle waterfront in background

Mayor Durkan’s Budget Raids JumpStart Payroll Tax for $100 Million Pledge to Communities of...

Mayor Jenny Durkan launched her next skirmish with Seattle City Council today as she released a 2021 budget that skimmed revenue from the their...
Third Avenue near Madison Avenue with office towers, some of the historic, in the background.

Seattle Hopes to Spur Office-to-Housing Conversions with Regulatory Incentives

Facing waning demand for office spaces, landlords are weighing housing conversions, with Mayor Harrell and the Seattle City Council aiming to nudge them in that direction with a recently passed package of regulatory incentives. Financial incentives could be next, but hurdles remain.

Seattle Booms Because Amazon Is The Master Of Platform Capitalism

Earlier this month Amazon announced a deal to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash. The news precipitated a $32 jump in Amazon's...

Trump-Proof Seattle Seeks City Income Tax

Seattle is now on the path toward an high-income earner tax. Boosters of the Trump-Proof Seattle movement are asking that the City of Seattle...

WSCC Addition Still Barreling Toward October Construction Start

On Tuesday morning, the members of the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) Addition Board gathered within the convention center they hope to supplement to get updated on...

Let’s Talk Inclusionary Zoning: An Interview With Gerrit Knaap

Below is an interview transcript with Gerrit Knaap. This transcript is part of a series of interviews that are meant to shed light on...

What To Expect When Expecting Amazon

Amazon announced yesterday that the company is planning the search for a second headquarters in North America where it promises as many as 50,000...

Will Linkage Fees Keep Properties Off The Market?

In my last article on linkage fees I made the case that the typical supply and demand dynamics we are familiar with from buying gasoline...