My name is Owen Pickford and I’m the founder of Housing for Seattle. I’m here because I’m concerned about the cost of housing in Seattle. Put simply, there is insufficient focus on how Seattle’s zoning policies affect housing costs. As an example, the description of this meeting’s purpose is...

If you missed the community meeting at Lowell Elementary chances are you saw fewer angry people yelling at city administrators than me. The meeting was well attended and packed the Lowell Elementary cafeteria. At points the cafeteria seemed to resemble what I would guess lunch with elementary school students is...

As mentioned in a previous post, opponents of micro-housing have a legitimate concern that new developments may change the character of their neighborhood. Not all their complaints are fair though. The most emotional and misguided attacks on micro-housing are related to parking. Many opponents of micro-housing criticize developments because they...

The city is calling a meeting because some developments allowed by the current zoning have raised complaints from neighborhood residents.  The meeting's purpose is to take feedback about the zoning rules. The feedback will be used to draft changes. Unfortunately, considerations about housing costs are not mentioned as a priority...

The Department of Planning and Development is holding an initial meeting to take community feedback on development at 1436 NW 62nd St. This development will be demolishing a three story single family house and replacing it with a 4 story apartment building. The details of the meeting are: Date:                  Monday, January 13, 2014 Time: ...

Fortunately, we aren’t the only ones writing about housing issues. Here’s what we’ve read recently: The Sightline Institute showing how parking drives up the cost of rent. Fortunately, this isn’t news to anyone that’s been following this issue but it’s great to see the report covered in so many publications!...

How can it be a problem if something is free? It turns out, free and subsidized parking is a problem because it is often only free or subsidized for the person doing the parking and everyone else pays for it. Two common types of parking in Seattle include: 1. Curb parking 2. Privately...

What does a city need to ensure residents with different incomes can afford housing? One of Seattle’s strategies is to provide a tax exemption for developments that include affordable housing. How do developments qualify for the Multi-family Property Tax Exemption program? An application must be submitted before the first building permit...