Housing

On Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a proposal for a $2 million bridge loan to the Seattle Social Housing Developer. Harrell campaigned against the successful grassroots social housing funding measure in the recent February election, but is pledging support going forward.

King County's Health Through Housing program provides a road map for exiting homelessness, providing housing first to stabilize people, and it’s working. Newly unveiled 2024 data shows a high rate of success among participants.

On Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell rolled out a package of design review reforms intended to speed up homebuilding and comply with a state deadline that is fast approaching. The mayor has proposed a six-month pause on design review requirements to ensure state compliance in time and provide a transition to the overhauled, leaner system.

On Wednesday, Bremerton ditched parking mandates, letting builders choose housing over excessive parking. Following in the footsteps of cities like Spokane, Port Townsend, and Bellingham, the move sets Bremerton up to prioritize housing needs and improving multimodal travel options.

Urban planner Markus Johnson proposes a series of building code changes that would provide more desirable and accessible multifamily housing at a more reasonable construction cost than most current multifamily development in Seattle.

The idea of building affordable housing at Magnolia's former Army base has been in the works for two decades. With a key comment deadline passing this month, it's finally set to advance, but several major hurdles loom over the coming months.

Kenmore is considering a mandatory inclusionary zoning policy that would not be paired with funding or incentives — passing affordability costs onto homebuilders. But, in a shift away from the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the City Council directed staff to draft a policy that would encourage smaller, more affordable homes while requiring larger (typically pricier) new homes to include affordable units or pay a fee. 

Quick decisions by a King County Superior Court ruled that two separate challenges to the One Seattle Plan's environmental review will have to wait until the Seattle City Council makes a final decision on the growth plan.