Washington's Court of Appeals will decide whether the legislature left a major loophole in place when it passed recent laws to prevent zoning changes that increase housing capacity in cities from being mired in lengthy legal appeals.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration is queuing up housing density increases within two blocks of all frequent transit corridors, planning director Rico Quirondongo revealed at a recent meeting of the Seattle Planning Commission, which pushed for the idea and greeted the plan warmly.
A Sightline Institute study quantified the impact of growing up, not sprawling out, estimating that the Seattle metro area’s slightly less-sprawling growth since 2000 was keeping 1 million tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere every year, compared with what Seattleites would have been emitt
After concerns were raised by city officials around removing flexibility to create vibrant and walkable neighborhoods, the version approved by the House local government committee sets a 40% cap on mixed-use zones where ground-floor retail spaces can be required.
The Seattle Social Housing Developer smashed projections and pulled in more than double the amount expected from a recently voter-approved “excess compensation tax.” Social housing advocates’ priority bill at the state legislature is also making significant progress.
The 41-7 vote in the Washington State Senate advances a proposal that would allow builders more flexibility to install smaller elevators in smaller apartment buildings, a small step toward bringing U.S. elevator costs more in line with the rest of the world.
The new regulations, which will stay in place for at least six months, require either façade preservation for older buildings or new façades that match them. Though the goal is to maintain Main Street’s pedestrian friendly atmosphere, little remains in place to prevent small business displacement fr
DESC opened 95 supportive housing units last week in Upper Fremont. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson attended the ribbon-cutting celebration, noting the positive step toward addressing the homelessness crisis, but Trump cuts could slow the pace of similar project openings.
Pre-applications for new housing units in Bothell last year topped 1,000 for the first time in recent history, a big indicator of interest following major changes to Bothell’s zoning code in 2024. Such activity makes Bothell well-positioned to buck a regional downturn in housing starts.
The Seattle City Council is proposing to scale back the range of construction projects required to get project-level State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review in a bid to boost homebuilding. The proposal will go to full council on February 10.
Mayor Katie Wilson is promoting inspections director Sam Steele to interim director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, she announced Tuesday. Steele has pledged to streamline processes to make it easier to build housing and emergency shelter.
Intended to reduce barriers that are preventing lower-density commercial buildings from getting redeveloped into housing, Senate Bill 6026 would target mandates for storefronts in new housing projects. After concerns were raised around impacts on neighborhood vibrancy, the proposal was scaled back a
Zoning maps for 30 new neighborhood growth centers, a handful of urban center expansions, and narrow transit corridor rezones dropped on Thursday. With the patchy current vision driven by the Harrell administration, new Mayor Katie Wilson has pledged to come back and expand the plan once a supplemen
The close vote earlier this week was a strong signal of a change in direction for Burien, which saw a 5-2 moderate council majority flip to a 4-3 progressive one last November.
Building more dense housing within vibrant walkable neighborhoods is a key climate strategy, argues IPCC author Michael Gillenwater. The Seattle Comprehensive Plan could further those opportunities.
Over the last decade, the Seattle metro area produced the most affordable housing in the nation, with more than 24,000 new income-restricted apartments. New revenue streams helped the region get there, but more work is needed to alleviate the affordability crisis and hit long-term goals.
Birds Connect Seattle, Thornton Creek Alliance, and the Orca Conservancy are among the groups trying to send the City of Seattle back to the drawing board on its housing growth plan. They’re pushing on behalf of an appeal that has been working its way through the courts since April.
The reviews are the first to take place under the 2025 Housing Accountability Act, intended to spur housing construction by reducing barriers added at the local level. Growth plan reviews are one step in a process that could lead to ramifications for governments that don’t make changes, including th
Adding a light rail stop next to Bellevue’s decommissioned airport could unlock more than 100 acres for dense urban development, boosting the potential of the planned line to Issaquah. Like Bel-Red or the Spring District, Eastgate could be the next Bellevue neighborhood to transform with transit-ori
In this video, Uytae Lee of About Here teamed up with Seattle-based environmental thinktank Sightline Institute to talk about North America’s elevator problem. Elevators have been made rare and costly by clunky regulations, which may be ripe for serious reform to make elevators affordable and desira
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Rico Quirindongo, the city’s planning director, seem to be on the same page about revamping the city’s growth plans to allow for additional housing density. The City appears set to largely stay the course on scheduled rezone work in 2026, but queue up additional growth
With middle housing, transit-oriented development, and parking reform all checked off the list, the Washington legislature’s 2026 session looks to be more sedate when it comes to housing. But there are still some impactful reforms on deck tackling some of the smaller issues inhibiting housing produc
Seattle City Councilmember Dionne Foster took office Tuesday, echoing Mayor Katie Wilson’s call for “bread and roses” to tackle the city’s affordability crisis while strengthening the social and cultural fabric.
Ray Delahanty of CityNerd debunks the myth that vacant homes could single-handedly solve the housing crisis, explaining with data why America doesn’t have anywhere close to 15 million homes readily available to fill the national housing shortage.
In remarks after being sworn in as Seattle’s 58th mayor, Katie Wilson painted a vision of improving the daily lives of residents that was explicitly urbanist: focused around livability and ensuring that no one gets pushed out of the city.
Tacoma’s new impact fee regime, which goes into effect next summer, will charge developers based on expected generation of car trips. Despite work to delicately calibrate the new fees, the proposal still drew criticism when it comes to adding costs to needed housing development.
Funded inclusionary zoning unlocks the benefits of inclusionary zoning while offsetting its harms. It’s a path to more market-rate housing and more subsidized affordable housing. While funded inclusionary zoning risks creating a dangerous rift in our pro-housing coalition, amending this policy to al
In this video, Dave Amos of City Beautiful talks about a growing national movement of faith-based organizations that are seeking to put their landholdings to work for housing, known as Yes-In-God’s-Backyard (YIGBY), and the obstacles that the movement faces.
The $64 million sale of the hotly contested Talaris property in Laurelhurst surprised housing advocates who had long been fighting sprawl and pushing for a more forward-thinking urban vision. But with considerable roadblocks to redevelopment still in place, Talaris’s future remains uncertain.
Issues with high vacancies, rising operating costs, and federal funding cuts are hitting affordable housing providers hard. The Seattle Office of Housing has stemmed the bleeding with operating support, but broader fixes are needed.
The adoption of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan, nearly one year late under a state-imposed deadline, is setting up much bigger debate over where additional housing density will be allowed in the city. Those issues, set to be discussed in 2026, include adding neighborhood centers and upzones along tr
The Pierce County Council recently greenlit a set of awards for affordable housing projects using a relatively new funding source: the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act. Over its short life, the sales tax has raised more than $31 million, which will contribute to the creation of 1,700 affordable
Up to 800 homes could advance on two underdeveloped retail sites in Kirkland’s Juanita neighborhood thanks to a zoning update that raises height limits to 75 feet. The road to get to this point involved nearly two years of process, and nearly became derailed ahead of a final council vote.
Homebuilding activity is anemic near the three Sound Transit light rail stations opening this month in South King County. The Urbanist reviews the 3,000-plus homes in the development pipeline, and explores the obstacles standing in the way.
Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson’s request would bring an emergency action to require facade preservation along Main Street as a condition of future development, while the city considers permanent regulations. While there was majority support for retaining the character of the area, some councilmembers
To fill in the gaps in the continuum of care for unhoused neighbors, the Seattle region should deploy mobile tiny house villages, argues Taiwo Adeptun. Managed mobile villages of tiny homes can rotate between eligible locations, providing a rapidly deployable option to get homeless people inside.
A handful of new affordable housing complexes in the Central District and South End are providing some welcome relief to apartment-seekers amidst a housing affordability crunch. Leaders from Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and SouthEast Effective Development (SEED) shared what’s in store.
Without “bold action,” Bainbridge Island was on track to be two years late in adopting an updated long-term growth plan, according to the city’s new consultant. But with little consensus around a path forward and two new councilmembers taking office, a change in strategy may not be enough.
Following an intense debate over the future of Sammamish’s fledgling Town Center area in this month’s elections, three growth skeptics are set to join the city council. Now the question is just how dramatically things get scaled back in 2026.
Tacoma’s recent election elevated two urbanist-backed progressives, which could buoy efforts to expand housing, roll out street safety upgrades, and improve transit. The Urbanist chatted with Tacoma Mayor-Elect Anders Ibsen and incoming Councilmember Latasha Palmer about their plans.
Despite significant spending to steer the Kirkland City Council toward a more slow growth direction, voters elected progressives in three out of four races. In the end, the election seemed to show most Kirkland residents are happy with the city’s current direction.
Road to Nowhere author Emily Lieb is speaking at Elliott Bay Books on November 20. Here’s a sneak peek at her book, which covers the plight of the Rosemont neighborhood of West Baltimore, as it was victimized by grand highway schemes.
As Seattle enters an era where fewer builders are lining up to build office towers and residential skyscrapers, the city’s permit department is scrambling to catch up. Despite last-minute concerns raised Monday around a 18% permit fee increase, that change is poised to take effect next year.
Already under scrutiny for potential violations of state housing law, the city of Clyde Hill’s new restrictions make its middle housing code one of the most restrictive in the state.
Four case studies show how Seattle’s new middle housing zoning incentives align with demographic shifts to meet housing demand.
The contentious proposal, approved by a 6-3 vote in March, legalized residential uses in a small slice of SoDo. But a state board pointed out several areas where the City cut corners ahead of that vote, nullifying the change.
Chicago has gotten a lot of national attention this year, but not for the reason we’d usually hope. Ray Delahanty of CityNerd, however, made a recent visit to check out what’s happening in the city and found that it was well and vibrant. Delahanty ticks through the L
America’s housing crisis is a complex and persistent problem. There isn’t just one reason for the housing crisis, but rather many compounding policy, demographic, and technological reasons that have led to it. In this video, Dave Amos of City Beautiful documents how the country has slow walked into
In four different races, Kirkland voters face a choice between pro-growth candidates interested in fostering additional types of housing throughout the city, and candidates looking for the city to be way less aggressive in fighting the region’s affordable housing crisis.
A SEPA appeal filed by a former council candidate means LIHI’s long-planned 92-unit housing project won’t be as competitive for state grants, but the nonprofit developer is optimistic that things can be quickly resolved and get moving again.
The 10 candidates running for seats in the Bellevue City Council discussed how they would tackle the city’s housing and affordability issues in an October 13th forum hosted by the Eastside Housing Equity Coalition. Here’s where the candidates stand.
The Washington Department of Commerce’s appeal is the first to come directly from state government to enforce 2021’s House Bill 1220, which requires cities to target future housing growth by income level. If successful, it will likely prompt a major change in how the city of nearly 9,000 plans for f
At an October 8th forum, urbanist-backed Kirkland City Council candidates discussed housing solutions, but none of their opponents showed, clearly ceding housing leadership in the four races. Here’s a recap of the solutions candidates laid out.
One local builder lays out the case for passing the City’s Multifamily Tax Exemption Program 7 proposal, which would expand access to a wider pool of renters and encourage participation in the program. The Seattle City Council is set to vote today.
The Seattle City Council is set to greenlight a new iteration of the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program with higher allowed rents and rent hikes. The program trades a property tax break for setting aside a quarter of the units with lower rents, but some advocates say the new rent structure is
The idea of using King County’s uptapped bonding capacity to unlock dollars for affordable housing seemed like a promising new area for exploration. But a report dropped on the county council’s doorstep this summer outlined some major obstacles and the need for a new dedicated revenue source to back
The Washington Association of Fire Marshals is proposing changes to Washington state building code that would require five-foot wide access path to accessory dwelling units, but builders paint the requirement as overkill, adding another obstacle to housing development.
The 100-unit housing project had been conceived in Kenmore, but was moved to Redmond after community opposition doomed its prospects. Affordable housing leaders see the way Redmond completed the hand-off as a model to be replicated elsewhere.
The Seattle City Council added a series of series of height and density bonuses for stacked flats as they amended Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed update to the City’s Comprehensive Plan in September. The bonuses could unleash the city’s former single family zones to create a stacked flat multiplex bo
Nearly $200,000 in outside spending from a political action committee started by one Woodinville tech worker has upended local politics in the quiet suburb. The goal? Taking down a pro-growth council majority.
While Tacoma saw a small uptick in housing starts in the first months of Home in Tacoma upzones, the City’s goal to add 59,000 homes by 2050 may take additional action by the City, given current trendlines.
A 5-2 vote at the council puts a zoning rollback in Three Tree Point, Lake Burien, and Seahurst on the table for 2026, following months of advocacy by residents. This November’s election will likely play a big role in the final policy outcome.
The sixth YIMBYtown conference, held earlier this month in Connecticut, represented a major change from its first iteration in 2016. The factors that have led to YIMBYtown going mainstream are leading to housing reforms across the country.
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s newly passed “Roots to Roofs” program is a 35-project pilot that lets nonprofit organizations and the Seattle Social Housing Developer tap into additional development capacity, particularly in areas with a history of past racial covenants.
A majority of the Seattle School Board joined the push for additional neighborhood growth centers last week, pointing to a link between additional housing density and stable student enrollment.
Reductions in the size of proposed growth centers and new tree retention rules that could stifle homebuilding were among the dozens of Seattle growth plan amendments approved this week. Council rejected moves to make the plan bolder in a number of areas, fretting over the risk of legal appeals.
More than 200 testifiers weighed in on the Comprehensive Plan and dozens of proposed amendments ahead of planned votes this week. The topics of neighborhood centers, tree retention, and social housing dominated the hourslong hearing.
On Wednesday, Mayor Bruce Harrell rolled out a proposal for an $80 million “anti-gentrification and reparations fund,” and trumpeted $350 million in housing investments he aims to make in 2026. He also ramped up attacks on challenger Katie Wilson and other political opponents, saying “how dare anyon
Seattle’s long saga of passing its state-required, once-per-decade major update to its Comprehensive Plan is nearing its end. But first, one more public hearing will be held this Friday for residents to air their grievances or do their cheerleading. Here’s our guide to the 106 amendments under consi
Neighborhood groups are pushing back on additional density in Wallingford, West Seattle, and Queen Anne. An amendment from Alexis Mercedes Rinck to restore eight growth centers dropped from the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan at an earlier stage is front-and-center.
Civil engineer Donna Breske produced a video digging into the issue of excessive water hook-up costs blocking homebuilding and driving up housing costs. She argues Seattle needs a systemwide plan to upgrade water mains that is not dependent on gouging builders.
King County is capping school impact fees on multifamily projects, hoping to lessen the burden on homebuilders. The move sparked a debate on how to help overcapacity school districts while avoid undue burdens on builders.
Cities around the region are starting to grapple with greater accountability for creating more affordable housing, in the wake of a far-reaching decision impacting Mercer Island. Bainbridge Island and Clyde Hill provide an early look at those conversations.
With a mandate to design its buildings for an ambitious green housing standard called “Passive House” while maintaining affordability, Seattle’s newly funded social housing authority has an important point to prove.
Parking reform has become a national movement, aimed at reducing housing costs. With a nudge from state law, Shoreline joins the trend to support urban development and a shift toward greener transportation options.
Bellingham is ranked the fourth most unaffordable housing market in the nation, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The city must embrace pro-housing policies: easing zoning restrictions, cutting red tape, and investing in mixed-income development, writes Bellingham City Council candidate Andrew Red
All but one councilmember asked the Low Income Housing Institute to come back with a design that eliminates around a quarter of the planned affordable homes, after intense criticism of the height and parking ratio of a 92-unit proposal.
Despite the fact that LIHI’s proposed affordable housing project has been advancing for nearly three years, public opposition has kicked up in recent weeks. The new campaign contends that such a prime Bainbridge Island site isn’t appropriate for affordable housing.
Shoreline becomes the largest city in King County to let builders decide how much parking makes sense within the specifics of a site, rather than requiring an arbitrary number. The 6-0 city council vote follows a watershed state bill tackling parking earlier this year.
Clark/Barnes architects want to transform a landmarked office building at Second Avenue and Pine Street into housing, adding 12 additional stories of mass timber construction to accommodate more homes. The innovative project is meeting significant opposition from nearby residents and historic preser
After the state’s Growth Management Hearings Board struck down its plan, Mercer Island now has a year to update its Comprehensive Plan to meet affordable housing requirements. The initial version prioritized making as few zoning changes as possible, leading to a legal challenge from Futurewise.
The potential Seattle Comprehensive Plan changes, which are set to be discussed Monday, would add back growth centers around Gas Works Park, Alki, North Capitol Hill, and other areas. Councilmember Rinck also proposes legalizing corner stores and removing parking mandates citywide.
Council President Sara Nelson and Councilmember Rob Saka unexpectedly skipped a housing committee meeting Wednesday, holding up 14 appointments to the shorthanded Seattle Renters Commission. Councilmember Alexis Rinck sharply criticized the “disrespectful” move, as did several nominees.
The pair of appeals focused on alleged impact from providing too few off-street parking stalls, but the Hearing Examiner upheld City’s decision to permit the project. Plymouth Housing’s long-planned project can now advance toward construction.
Landlords have used ratio utility billing systems as a backdoor to jack up rents. It’s time to ban the practice in Washington State.
At The Urbanist’s “Urbanism on the Eastside” panel earlier this month, panelists discussed a sea change happening in the suburbs that are beginning to urbanize and break free of car dependence. Check out this recap of the discussion.
Sammamish will study increasing the upper limit on housing in its Town Center to 4,000 units, after nearly two decades of anemic growth under a previous growth framework. The 6-1 vote came after a significant amount of community opposition and misinformation.
Bothell becomes the first city in either King or Snohomish County to fully eliminate off-street parking mandates in order to reduce costs for homebuilding. The move clearly solidifies the city as a leader on housing and land use reform.
Washington State has big housing plans and ambitious planning tools, but it needs binding commitments across public, private, and social sectors to turn vision into reality. As it stands, housing isn’t being built fast enough to stem the affordability crisis.
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) just got a bit easier to build in Seattle, as legislation passed in May went into effect yesterday. The reform will help Seattle meet state mandates to make ADUs easier to built. Ultimately, wider middle housing reforms planned in the coming months may prove more attr
Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s new “Roots to Roofs” bill would provide zoning bonuses for community-based organizations to build housing and other cultural spaces, building on the rejected Connected Communities pilot. It already has the support of Land Use Chair Mark Solomon.
Seattle has officially surpassed the 800,000 population mark, setting a record high of 816,600 residents in new state estimates released Friday. That marks the fifth year in a row that the Emerald City’s growth rate has exceeded 2%, making Seattle one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
A narrow four-member majority caved to housing opponents as the Bellevue City Council finalized zoning changes impacting the city’s lower density residential areas. Scaling back an ambitious proposal that increased flexibility for builders, Bellevue is only set to exceed the state minimum in a few a
Safe Eastside, a group with a long track record of attacking facilities for people exiting homelessness, is turning its attention to major pieces of state housing reform approved in 2025. They have until July 26 to collect more than 150,000 signatures to get a repeal referendum on the ballot in Wash
On Monday, June 23, the Seattle City Council is holding a public hearing on the One Seattle growth plan. Housing advocates must defend the 29 neighborhood centers in the plan and push to add more. Jazmine Smith lays out the case for these eight additions.
After dozens of blocks were dropped from the One Seattle housing growth plan, planner Michael Hubner downplayed the changes as minimal. The Seattle Planning Commission painted the move as pushing the city is headed in the wrong direction.
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 t
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.