Housing

A quiet pedestrian street with a few people walking and plenty of tree canopy with a midrise residential building in the background.

Op-Ed: Harrell’s Growth Plan Shorts Housing and Tree Canopy

Architect Michael Eliason shares his blueprint for a greener Seattle with more abundant and affordable housing. The vision goes beyond townhomes to stacked flats amidst ample tree canopy.

City’s Plan for Pre-approved Backyard Cottages Shouldn’t Require Uncompensated Labor

It has been nearly two years since Mayor Jenny Durkan directed the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections to fast-track pre-approved designs of backyard...

Pike Place Expansion is Underway

Construction has begun on the Pike Place Market expansion project, the first addition to the Market in 40 years. Crews broke ground on June...
A view of towers in Belltown, Seattle WA.

Bayview Tower Project Marks A Step Forward in Decarbonizing Buildings

For tenants of large apartment buildings, the prospect of a new water heating system installation can be cause for alarm. Prolonged utility shutoffs present...

Homestead Pioneers a Carbon Neutral Model for Affordable Housing

With Willowcrest Townhomes, Homestead Community Land Trust is striving to create "a replicable model" for permanently affordable net zero energy housing. Since the 1960s,...

U District Zoning And Development Regulations Could Get An Overhaul

The University District rezone and urban design framework may finally become reality--in part. Legislation to rezone and update development regulations throughout much of the...
Downtown Tacoma's stretch of Pacific Avenue hosts the Tacoma Link streetcar. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Tacoma Quietly Rezoned Residential Areas in Latest Comp Plan Update

In late September, the Tacoma City Council approved a large slate of areawide rezones and future land use map designation changes, which primarily affected...
A view of the downtown Seattle skyline from a Capitol Hill rooftop

Policy Lab: Ban Algorithmic Rental Price-Setting

At least half of Seattle's apartments are priced using algorithms like RealPage, which is facing a federal lawsuit for illegal price fixing. The Seattle City Council should ban such algorithms, Katie Wilson argues.