Housing

The Liberty Bank Building brought 110 affordable homes to the Central District under the guidance of Africatown. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Seattleites Want Mid-Rise Social Housing Even More Than Sixplexes, Polls Shows

Social housing is popular in Seattle -- so popular it even seems to override concerns about appropriate building scale and amorphous "neighborhood character." To...

Woodinville’s Mayor Wants You to Know He’s Not a NIMBY

Officials say they're embracing housing growth, but have some caveats. As Washington's middle housing bill, HB 1110, advanced through the legislature during the first few...
Bruce Harrell in a suit standing at a lectern. MLK Labor’s Executive Secretary-Treasurer Katie Garrow is to the left and OSE Director Jessyn Farrell to the right. A hazy Seattle skyline is in the background from Queen Anne vantage.

Seattle Releases Plan to Curb Climate Pollution from Buildings

Landlords are pushing to delay implementation schedules and lessen fees. When asked about the causes of climate change, most may picture cars, coal mines, and...

Council Candidates Mixed on Transportation Impact Fees Despite Pedersen Push Poll

Councilmember Alex Pedersen is renewing a push for Seattle to levy fees on new building projects to pay for capacity improvements to the city's...
a path between two townhouses with evergreen trees

The Urbanist Podcast: What’s Next for Washington State Housing Advocacy

Last week, we published an oral history of Washington State's missing middle housing bill. Creating this episode involved interviewing several of the lawmakers and...
A large tree grows along the streets in between powerlines with a new three-story multifamily development next door.

Seattle Council Expands Tree Protections, Pedersen Dissents

Seeking to grow its tree canopy cover, Seattle -- a city originally built on logging and carved out of towering old growth forest --...
Chainlink fence with a for rent sign for a house.

Dueling Tenant Rights Measures Square Off in Tacoma

Tacoma For All is pushing a sweeping tenant bill of rights, and the City is planning a weaker package of changes. Affordable housing and tenants’...
Trench cut in dirt with an intersection of iron pipes and a lightly colored stormwater crossing.

The Urbanist Podcast: How to Crush a Housing Project the Seattle Way

In this episode, civil engineer and Urbanist contributing writer Donna Breske discusses her experience with the frustrating hurdles posed by the permitting process in Seattle with...