Housing

A central square in downtown Redmond has a row of bike parking and tents set up for a street far. Midrise apartment buildings ring the square and a construction crane adds another.

Redmond Greenlights Center Upzones, Sixplexes Citywide, Higher Affordability Requirements

The recently passed Redmond 2050 plan increases housing capacity and aims to produce nearly 30,000 new homes by 2050, mostly downtown and in Overlake Village. However, homebuilders warn that the City is adding new obstacles that could impede housing development.
Construction cranes build more housing near Seattle's Space Needle.

Op-Ed: Cities Must Embrace Housing Abundance to Resist Rise of Authoritarianism

Counteracting authoritarianism and building a bright and welcoming future requires an abundance agenda centering housing growth. Cities like Seattle must lead the way.
Scott and Rinck pose at bus stops. Mello is on a downtown Tacoma street. Bateman is leaning on a marble column at the state capitol.

Four Successful Urbanist-Backed Candidates Pledge Housing, Transit, and Climate Action 

Shaun Scott, Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Ryan Mello, and Jessica Bateman will bring progressive urbanist leadership to their respective offices.
Washington State Capitol dome at dusk

State Senate Taps Bateman for Housing Chair in Major Committee Shakeup

Big changes are coming to the Washington State Senate in 2025, including the elevation of incoming Senator Jessica Bateman to a high profile post as head of the Housing Committee, a symbol of the continued salience of the issue.
Four residents sit in a L couch in a lounge well-lit by natural light.

The Case for Converting Vacant Offices to Congregate Housing

A new study found co-living congregate housing could spur conversions of vacant offices, which are much costlier to convert to conventional housing. It could also return Seattle to its affordable single-room occupancy roots.

Builders Continue Pivot to Housing in Downtown Bellevue

In shift away from office and toward housing growth, Downtown Bellevue's development pipeline has seen nearly 4,000 additional homes proposed and more than two million square feet of office space abandoned in just the last couple of years. Once built, the pipeline of 14,000 homes would more than double the population of downtown.
A sign reads Resilient communities on the lectern in the lobby of city hall and people stand behind the speaker holding signs saying a protest JumpStart commitments and invest on Seattle's future.

Amid Budget Showdown, Advocates Mount Defense of JumpStart Housing Funds

On Tuesday, progressive advocates rallied at Seattle City Hall to make a last-ditch defense to reverse a $330 million JumpStart cut that would deplete affordable housing funding. Tuesday was the last public hearing before Council finalizes the budget next week.

Seattle Architects Unveil Designs for Social Housing Ahead of February Vote

New renderings, created by Neiman Taber Architects, present a vision for voters of what publicly-funded social housing would look like in Seattle. A dedicated funding source for social housing is on the ballot in February via Prop 1A.