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"For decades before any of us were writing about housing, the Seattle Times profited from selling exclusion: pages of real estate ads for "restricted neighborhoods" with racial covenants, Blue Ridge and View Ridge and Innis Arden, classifieds that ran the phrase "reasonable restrictions" into 1970."

We wrote about this back in 2024! www.theurbanist.org/cities-must-... "With mass deportations and political persecution looming, cities that provide protection will experience an influx of new residents....The response must be to provide, not to exclude."

(5/5) The State Building Code Council (SBCC) is reviewing an update that would make it more affordable for stacked flats to be built. Send in your story about why you <3 these types of homes to encourage them to be housing heroes! share here: bit.ly/stackedflats

Seattle perfected the stacked flat over a century ago. Why is OPCD still fiddling around with FAR, setbacks, pitched roofs, materials, etc.?

With most of Seattle's new homes planned on arterial roads - where illegally modified vehicles proliferate - it's more important than ever to set standards for what is acceptable in our society. People in apartments also deserve access to quiet enjoyment, clean air, & play spaces.

This is a really smart MHA proposal from @forseattlewa.bsky.social We can flip MHA from a housing blocker into an affordable housing flywheel. It's a good idea lets do it! forseattle.substack.com/p/mha-20-a-b...

New homebuilding in Seattle is down ~90% since 2020. Fewer new homes mean tighter competition and higher rents to come. We've joined @sightline.org and others encouraging the Mayor + Council to update MHA. Our proposal (MHA 2.0): forseattle.substack.com/p/mha-20-a-b...

This chart tells a pretty incredible success story MHA funds are the smallest slice of this graph and yet MHA is the only funding source that directly hurts renters by blocking new homes from being built @mayorofseattle.bsky.social let's use this success to undo the damage from MHA!

We're not going to let our Councilmembers mandate walled-off ghettos for our neighbors who are already living in the community. Every neighborhood must do its part to address the homelessness crisis. That means EVERY neighborhood. Don't NIMBY our tiny houses.

In recent years, Seattle historic preservation groups have: 🪜 blocked removing ladders at Gasworks where 3 have died 🅿️ blocked housing to keep a historic parking garage in Pioneer Square 🏠 blocked housing in wealthy neighborhoods because of "historic" Craftsmans 🚙 tried to keep cars in Pike Place

Join us to celebrate new affordable homes opening in Phinney Ridge! We're partnering with Homestead to showcase their homes & welcome new residents to an exclusive neighborhood. April 30, 6:00pm 5819 Phinney Ave. RSVP at the link below. See you there! actionnetwork.org/events/welco...

"We have lived in multigenerational households since the beginning of time. It’s only in contemporary history that we don’t.” Marcus referenced [our] history of boarding and rooming houses, where residents occupied private rooms while sharing common spaces. www.gsd.harvard.edu/2026/04/inte...

How do upzonings impact housing supply? In brand-new research published today @urbaninstitute.bsky.social, we show that big upzonings in New York City & Philadelphia had large, statistically significant effects on supply & permitting with several years of reforms. www.urban.org/research/pub...

Two women biking on the Lake Washington cycling path, circa 1901 www.historylink.org/File/20810

You've heard of the Montana Miracle—meet the 🎆 Idaho Inspiration 🎆 Idaho just legalized five HUGE housing reforms: ✅ Manufactured homes ✅ Lot splitting ✅ Single stair building code reform ✅ ADUs ✅ Homes on lots as small as 1,500 sq ft!! The Mountain West is showing us how it's done! 🏔️💫

Tell City Council to pass a bolder comprehensive plan! - Expand housing options beyond noisy, polluted roads -Update zoning to make apartments feasible to build -Legalize family-friendly designs like courtyard apartments and mass timber buildings Send a letter: actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

www.vox.com/future-perfe... "Local policy leaders increasingly agree that there is a relationship between housing supply and housing prices []. But many communities across the US are still pushed about by NIMBYs who advocate fiercely against allowing more housing construction."

We sent emails to City Council & the Mayor about finding this hero a permanent place to live but still haven't heard back.

The Kelsey (disability-forward affordable housing developer/advocacy org) is hiring a senior manager of land use/bldg code, who'd lead a coalition for…ELEVATOR REFORM! Remote, pays up to $120k + benefits. Would involve working some with me, happy to talk if you're interested thekelsey.org/careers/

We’re hiring a housing and cities lead researcher! - Develop and drive pro-housing policy - Focus on state legislation in WA - $106-125k, plus 10% retirement

Next up: disability rights advocate Cecilia Black is speaking to how crucial affordable midrise housing is to meeting the needs of disabled residents. At smaller scale, housing typically doesn't have elevators and is too expensive.

An Indigenous woman herself, Echohawk stressed the importance of welcoming all communities in Seattle and undoing the legacy of racial exclusion and housing discrimination in Seattle's history.

It's working in Spokane. We changed our zoning and much more liberally than Seattle several years ago. Housing boom. Mostly infill on long vacant lots. The houses in a new subdivision down the road from me started at 450k two years ago. They changed the sign recently to 350k.

The Comprehensive Plan will decide if social housing can actually exist across our city--or stay blocked by outdated zoning. We didn’t win just to stop here. 📣 Join us April 6 at City Hall, 12PM. Let’s make social housing possible everywhere. #Seattle #SocialHousing #CompPlan

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A Pew study of 1,654 ZIP codes found low-income neighborhoods saw rents rise 10% faster than wealthy ones during the shortage. But in metros that grew housing stock by 10%+, rent grew slowest in older affordable buildings. cayimby.org/blog/how-blo...

One thing we can do to fix MHA is get rid of the confusing, arbitrary M,M1,M2 system. If two MR lots are identical with the same sized building on them, but one used to be NR while the other has always been MR, the formerly NR one pays nearly double the MHA fees!

This hero risked his life for the benefit of the neighbors around him. He needs help paying his medical bills due to the injuries he sustained from his heroic actions. He also needs a home. Can we find him a permanent home? Donate: www.gofundme.com/f/help-ernie...

Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) is a tax on middle-income families to subsidize rent for low income households. Taxing wealth and wage inequality are far better ways to subsidize housing.

Housing has too many unfunded mandates preventing fair outcomes. Integrated housing (including folks with diff incomes) has many benefits -- It shouldn't cost extra to do the right thing. Let's fund our Mandatory Housing Affordability programs fairly. This may require state legislation! 👀

Thanks to all who came to the Democracy & Housing Social last night! It was great partnering with the 36th District Democrats to learn about how to level-up our policy advocacy in Olympia. And we got to meet Senator Noel Frame who represents the 36th District.

Attention state legislators! How to make condos viable to build? See the new bill in California, AB 1903.

Speaking of historic character, THIS is what the Pioneer Square area looked like when the Americans arrived. Back then it was a Duwamish village known as the "Little Crossing Place." Credit: Chief Seattle and the Town That Took His Name by David M. Buerge (available at your local library)

Broadly upzoning the entire city would fix this issue. Demand is finite, so spreading it out across all neighborhoods means that each neighborhood sees less immediate change, yet overall growth is sustained.

This is “acceptance phase” thinking: ⬇️ “Seattle is going to grow. Why not set the zoning rules so we incentivize the kinds of urban housing that are super popular” We’ve already been through the “denial” part so let’s move it along Seattle! Trees housing parks health care clean water salmon

Join us next Monday for a democracy-themed social with the 36th District Democrats @ Old Stove! Learn about the platform of the local Democrats & and how we can support their adoption of pro-housing policies. Supplies will be provided to make posters for the next No Kings event. See you there.

We need your feedback on housing in Washington. Commerce opened a survey to gather input to help shape recommendations for a potential state Department of Housing. The anonymous survey is open to anyone who is interested. Take the survey by April 26: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2026StateD...

Uninspired. Backward-thinking. Fails to meet the moment. How would you describe OPCD's plan for Northgate? Take their survey today!

Great idea for an event!

☠️ HAPPENING NOW ☠️ Everyone deserves to breathe fresh air where they live. When you use an unfiltered diesel generator to do construction work, it creates a toxic nuisance for the entire neighborhood. #greenwood #pollution #arterials

archive.is/Traj7 Seattle City Light makes homes more expensive through arbitrary hookup fees and delays of up to THREE YEARS per project. It increases housing costs for everyone. Rents go UP for everyone. We need permit shot-clocks & fee-sharing rooted in fairness.

We need to start blowing up council inboxes & public comment, to fix the @seattleopcd.bsky.social plan that only allows social & affordable housing on loud, polluted, & dangerous roads. Mark your calendars, put in your PTO 😭, & bring your friends. ALL HANDS ON DECK for Alternative 5 Corridors.

Washington has scored another first in the nation for statewide legislation to boost housing: Yesterday HB 2228 to legalize scissor stairs passed the Senate 48 - 0, now headed to the Gov's desk. Thank you Rep. Zahn and Sen. Bateman, and also @markusja.bsky.social who got this conversation started!

So we're going to rezone for transit oriented development in a 1-mile walk shed around all link stations? Right?

As YIMBYs, we celebrate inclusive, sustainable, and thriving communities where everyone has a place to call home. Concentration camps are anathema to that vision. We must do whatever it takes to block them. Not in Our Backyards.

Adding homes lowers rents for low-income tenants, even if they do not move into the new homes. Policies that impede the construction of homes - even those marketed as luxury housing - hurt tenants. Design Review is hostile to low-income tenants.

We are hearing the same thing with respect to the Comprehensive Plan, which is continuing to undergo years-long review without any plans to speed up the process. Planning for neighborhoods must be sped up. Design Review should be killed immediately. We didn't vote for the status quo.

Rents are declining nationwide because the United States is building more housing. www.apartmentlist.com/research/nat...

www.seattletimes.com/opinion/diff... Standard NIMBY arguments conjure scarcity: our island is full. There is no more land, water, or fresh air. We counter scarcity with abundance: compact living is GOOD, more housing types are GREAT, & sustainable communities are NECESSARY.