Joshua McNichols
Growth and Development Reporter
About
As KUOW's Growth and Development reporter and co-host of KUOW's Booming podcast, Joshua's "growing pains" beat sits at the nexus of housing, transportation, urban planning, government and the economy. His favorite stories also include themes of history, technology, and climate change.
Joshua holds a B.A. in Architecture from the University of Washington. Public Radio is his second career; architecture was his first. He is proud of the many odd jobs he's held in his life, such as salmon fisher, author, bike courier, and bed-and-breakfast cook.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him
Professional Affiliations: The Society of Professional Journalists, Western Washington Chapter
Stories
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Government
Seattle approves new director of Planning and Community Development
On Tuesday afternoon, the Seattle city council unanimously confirmed acting director Rico Quirindongo as head of the Office of Planning and Community Development.
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Meet the Seattle office buildings that could become your next apartment
This week, the city concluded a design competition, in which architects submitted proposals to convert specific buildings.
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'Real people being represented': Seattle's social housing board is just getting started
Seattle has a new public development authority, and it has a big mission: improving access to affordable housing.
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Business
Near term: Seattle is in the black. Long term, well...
Top officials at the city of Seattle are trying to plan for the city’s economic future. But, with so many big trends creating so much uncertainty, predicting that future is no easy task.
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Government
Big-box businesses have taken over Seattle's industrial zones. New legislation could change that
Seattle’s population has grown, and the scarcity of land has led to more big-box stores and more self-storage facilities on industrial land. Now, there’s an effort to preserve that industrial land for industry, whether it’s brewing beer or building ships.
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Seattle's first affordable housing high-rise tower in 50 years welcomes its first residents
This week, people who used to live outside began moving into a new building on First Hill. It’s the first new affordable housing high-rise tower Seattle has seen in 50 years. It represents a different approach — in terms of scale and strategy — for addressing homelessness in the region.
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Business
Vacant storefronts are common downtown but rare in Seattle suburbs
Vacant retail stores may be common in downtown Seattle and its surrounding neighborhoods, but they’re exceedingly rare in the Seattle metro region as a whole. In fact, retail vacancy rates are at near record lows.
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Do townhomes drive down housing costs? Social science has an answer
Townhomes are cheaper to build than single-family homes. Homebuyers and renters may not see savings though, unless a lot more homes hit the market. In our continuing coverage of Washington State's landmark "middle housing bill," which would encourage more townhomes statewide, we dig into the question of whether density can bring prices down, and bring in a (social) scientist.
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Government
Will increased density through HB-1110 actually lower WA home prices?
KUOW Housing Reporter Joshua McNichols walks us through the details behind how housing density can help lower housing costs through increased supply.
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Government
Corrections Corner: HB 1110 and Small Communities
KUOW Housing Reporter Joshua McNichols sits down with Soundside host Libby Denkmann to talk about a quick correction to reporting about HB 1110.