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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Business
How community pressure helped rebuild Black-owned businesses in Seattle's Central District
When Paul Allen’s development company, Vulcan, bought a strip mall and a grocery store in the Central District years ago –many residents had concerns. The community did not want to become like another neighborhood Vulcan redeveloped: South Lake Union. So the neighborhood pushed back.
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NW carpenters say they build the tech offices that make our economy grow, but their pay doesn't show it
In Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, carpenters marched outside a new office tower being built for Google. In Redmond, they marched outside buildings under construction for Microsoft and Facebook. The construction industry might be booming, but carpenters say their families are struggling.
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Business
Seattle's Central District divided over new Amazon Fresh store
A new grocery store has opened at 23rd and Jackson: Amazon Fresh. It’s on the same spot in Seattle’s Central Area neighborhood where the Red Apple grocery store used to stand. The Red Apple was a popular spot where neighbors ran into each other and said ‘Hi.’ Its closure and demolition became a sore spot for people who felt they were losing the soul of their neighborhood.
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Business
Sometimes pushy, sometimes distant, Amazon keeps businesses near its Seattle HQ alive
Before the pandemic, Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood was bustling with tech workers, tourists, and residents. There were lines outside popular lunchtime spots. Then the pandemic hit, and the neighborhood quickly became a ghost town. It's not anymore.
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Business
This Seattle neighborhood wants to tax itself to post-pandemic prosperity
Property owners alA Capitol Hill neighborhood wants to tax itself to help keep its main street clean and its businesses strong. It would create a new Business Improvement Area, or BIA, the 11th in Seattle, and the first new one created during the pandemic to help a struggling business district. KUOW’s Joshua McNichols says the idea has inspired strong reactions on both sides.
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Government
What the end of a federal eviction moratorium means for Washington
When the Supreme Court ruled against the federal eviction moratorium, that had some implications for Washington State.
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Seattle's first robotic parking garage opens
Residents of the tower drive their car onto a platform, exit the car, punch in a code. And then their car disappears down a hole.
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Health
School admin's pushback against public health worries some Issaquah parents
As parents ready their kids for in-person school, many have concerns about Covid protocols. For some Issaquah parents, those worries only grew when they saw one of their school district's top administrators use his Facebook account to diss vaccines and masks.
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Business
No shirt, no shot, no service: Bring your vaccine card to Capitol Hill
CC Attle’s, a bar on Capitol Hill known for its stiff drinks and leather nights, started asking customers to see their vaccination cards in May, before anyone else.
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Environment
An architecture firm dedicated to green building felt the heat and got AC at the office. They still cut their energy use
"When you realize that you're sticking to the trace paper on your desk, that's not a good thing."