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Housing

A sign in front of an apartment building advertising "Affordable Micro Studios" with utilities and wifi included

Rent Stabilization Tops Washington Democrats’ Housing Agenda for 2025 Session

Democratic leaders are saying this is the year that the Washington State Legislature will finally pass rent stabilization, with momentum building behind Rep. Emily Alvarado's bill.
A sign on an apartment building indicating the parking entrance

Bateman Takes Aim at Washington’s Parking Mandates

A new bill introduced at the state legislature by longtime housing advocate Jessica Bateman would represent a sea change, limiting the ability of cities and counties to mandate high amounts of parking.
In the foreground are OPCD planners and in the background are city councilmembers at the dais.

Moore Leads Housing Backlash in Seattle Council’s First Comprehensive Plan Meeting

As the Seattle City Council took its first look at Mayor Bruce Harrell's One Seattle Comprehensive Plan on Monday, Cathy Moore delivered a slow-growth manifesto, tinged with derision for renters, who she portrayed an unengaged and a detriment to neighborhoods.

Seattle CID Development Authority Expands into Beacon Hill, Fighting Displacement

Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) is seeking to anchor communities of color in place in and around the CID, with Beacon Pacific Village its latest housing project.
An aerial photo of Downtown Bellevue in 2023 on a sunny day, with blue Lake Washington in the foreground

2025 Is Poised To Be the Year of the Eastside

East Link light rail expansions set the stage for boosting housing and transforming streets to overcome car dependence. The next year will be a pivotal, signaling whether Eastside cities are executing an urban transformation or falling back into old exclusionary patterns, ceding regional leadership back to the other side of the lake.

Local Groups Push to Block Housing in Seattle’s Proposed Neighborhood Centers

By the time the Seattle City Council convenes for the first meeting of the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan on January 6, a group of residents from every single council district will have been pushing to scale back proposed zoning changes in their midst, all using similar arguments around lack of infrastructure and loss of neighborhood character.

Op-Ed: A Wishlist for Pierce County Under Ryan Mello’s Leadership

Greening neighborhoods, boosting Pierce Transit funding by 50%, and embracing housing growth are the top three goals Rubén Casas has laid out for Pierce County under Ryan Mello's progressive leadership.

Sunday Video: Can Trains Save Seattle?

City Beautiful's urbanism content creator, Dave Amos, recently visited the Seattle area to explore future transit-oriented development sites and the planning that is going...