Housing

Seattle is considering legislation to support conversion of existing commercial buildings to residential. Mayor Harrell is seeking to incentivize and facilitate reuse of vacant commercial properties and fulfill a plank of his Downtown Activation Plan.

Small but mighty Port Townsend appears to be the first city in Washington State to have fully ditched its off-street parking requirements.

The mayor's comprehensive plan proposal failed to deliver real solutions on housing abundance, affordability, and climate. It promises only modest zoning changes at the margins and 100,000 additional homes over 20 years.

In the first chance to discuss the Harrell administration's planned growth strategy, Morales was leagues ahead of her colleagues in articulating changes she wanted to see made, such as higher growth targets and more multifamily zoning, before earning her vote of approval.

The state's 60-day legislative session wrapped on March 7 with only a few housing bills headed to Governor Inslee's desk. Rent stabilization, transit-oriented development, lot-splitting, and a builder's remedy all failed to pass.

Builders, lawmakers, and housing advocates warn the 'One Seattle' growth strategy is "nothingburger" that will come up short on affordability, livability, and complying with state law. Fourplexes would be too constrained to deliver sufficient housing.

A bill pushed by Bothell Rep. Davina Duerr and approved by the Washington legislature this week would prioritize trees when retention policies come into conflict with local parking mandates.

While Bellevue is projecting 225,000 additional residents by 2045, Seattle is anticipating a more modest 200,000 for its comprehensive planning purposes. In its new draft plan, Seattle adds fourplex zoning across most, but not all of the city, plus 24 "Neighborhood Centers" and one new urban center with more intensive zoning changes.