Seattle YIMBY
@seattleyimby.bsky.social
Volunteer-driven grassroots org that advocates for abundant housing in Seattle and beyond. Join us! https://linktr.ee/seattleyimby
This is UCLA research about California but Seattle is doing the exact same thing with our MHA fees. It’s time to end MHA fees before more damage is done.
Dan Bertolet@danbertolet.bsky.social · 3w agoNew study finds that unfunded inclusionary zoning: - reduces resid. construction by nearly a third - relocates MF developments to lower rent areas - costs renters $800,000 in excess rents per IZ unit created Who could have guessed that taxing housing to fund affordable housing is a bad idea?
Speeding up housing reform _and_ adding transit frequency? Sounds like my perfect Tuesday.
Councilmember Eddie Lin@cmeddielin.bsky.social · 4w agoSuper excited to be voting on both STM and our SEPA bill on Tuesday! Both of these are critical for us to plan for a more sustainable, climate and transit-friendly, and affordable City.
CM Lin with another correct diagnosis of what ails Seattle👏👏 We deserve to have nice things, not endless process and court battles over bike lanes and new homes.
Councilmember Eddie Lin@cmeddielin.bsky.social · last mo.I’m renaming SEPA the SEattle Process Annihilator - the place where good ideas go to die.
We have a red alarm fire at City Hall after @mayorofseattle.bsky.social shelved legislation for an MHA holiday. We're down 94% in apt permits from peak and need to take every action possible to boost supply. Please use this link to contact her office to reconsider. actionnetwork.org/letters/unfr...
Unfreeze our housing pipeline: Don't let rents spiral out of reach
See Seattle's building dashboard here Right now, a well-intentioned city policy called Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) is backfiring. By placing massive, outdated fees on new construction, it h...
actionnetwork.org
"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."
The Urbanist@theurbanist.org · 3mo agoNEW STORY// Editorial: Seattle Times Called Us 'Builders' Mouthpiece' for Trying to Build a Better City By Doug Trumm via @theurbanist.org
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."
Op-Ed: Cities Must Embrace Housing Abundance to Resist Rise of Authoritarianism » The Urbanist
# Counteracting authoritarianism and building a bright and welcoming future requires an abundance agenda centering housing growth. Cities like Seattle must lead the way.
theurbanist.org
gwen howerton@kissphoria.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW: Seattle might declare a civil emergency to help LGBTQ (mostly trans) people fleeing red states, so I looked for a Texas angle. An organizer told me that Texas is #1 among trans people looking to relocate: "The baseline hostility to their existence is unbearable." www.chron.com/culture/arti...
(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.
Spokane Rising@spokanerising.com · 3mo agoIt’s time.
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...
MHA 2.0: A better way to fund affordable homes in Seattle
Seattle can fund affordable homes without slowing housing down.
forseattle.substack.com
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.
PubliCola@publicola.bsky.social · 3mo agoProposed Changes to Wilson’s Shelter Plan Include Shelter-Free “Buffer” Zones, Mandatory Security Councilmember Maritza Rivera said the buffers are about "ensuring that shelters are not placed near schools, near kids and playgrounds."
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...
A Cultural Shift Toward Living Together by Design
In an era of growing social isolation, rising housing costs, and uneven access to care, multigenerational living holds promise.
gsd.harvard.edu
Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies@harvard-jchs.bsky.social · 4mo agoIntergenerational housing isn’t a niche idea anymore—it’s emerging as a powerful response to soaring housing costs, social isolation, and gaps in care. Thanks to Krista Sykes @gsd.harvard.edu for a great article about our recent Living Together by Design event: 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
The Urbanist@theurbanist.org · 4mo agoSeattle's only annual open streets festival along the South Seattle waterfront will run every single weekend this summer outside of Seafair. Wilson's changes are a bold reversal of her predecessor's scaling back of Bicycle Weekends. Story: www.theurbanist.org/katie-wilson...
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...
Tell City Council To Pass A Bold Comprehensive Plan
Let’s Build a Seattle for Everyone The Seattle City Council has a once-in-a-decade chance to finally tackle our housing shortage. We are now in Phase 2 of the Comprehensive Plan, which focuses specif...
actionnetwork.org
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."
How Austin’s stunning drop in rents explains housing in America
We finally have some good news about housing affordability.
vox.com
We sent emails to City Council & the Mayor about finding this hero a permanent place to live but still haven't heard back.
Jeff@jefft.bsky.social · 4mo agoHere's a case where I really hope he gets fair compensation. Dude saved an out of control bus after the driver passed out. Later he called for help to replace his glasses which flew out in the crash and they said they weren't liable for that. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
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/
Careers - The Kelsey
thekelsey.org
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
Lead Researcher, Housing + Cities | Sightline Institute
Lead Researcher, Housing + Cities
sightline.org
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
The Urbanist@theurbanist.org · 4mo agoNEW OP-ED// Op-Ed: Help Us Fight for the Bold Housing Plan Seattle Deserves By Jazmine Smith, Jeff Paul via @theurbanist.org
