Housing

Government

Next steps for Seattle's (passing) social housing initiative

Seattle’s Social Housing initiative is leading by 14 percent and could be certified next week. So what are the next steps?

What would make you live in downtown Seattle? Residents answer, city listens

One of the big lessons to come out of the pandemic – is that downtowns need people. Not just office workers – but people who live there. But how do you get people to move downtown? That’s a question Seattle officials are grappling with right now. In part 3 of our series “Downtown Reimagined,” KUOW’s Joshua McNichols went looking for downtown residents to find out what’s working, and what’s not.

Business

With office employees gone, downtown Seattle residents became the neighborhood's economic lifeblood

Downtown Seattle was decimated by the pandemic. Office buildings are 22% vacant right now — that’s like one in five towers being dark. But the downtown core is showing surprising signs of life.

Week in Review: Amazon, legislature, and housing

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Seattle Channel’s Brian Callanan, Seattle Times Claudia Rowe, and Puget Sound Business Journal’s Alex Halverson.

Government

Should rent be stabilized? Washington lawmakers hear the pros and cons

Supporters say the bills would guard against massive rent increases. Critics say the measures would suppress the production of new rentals at a time when the state is already hurting for housing.

Business

What's behind skyrocketing rents in Eastern Washington?

To find the fastest rent increases in Washington, you have to look outside of the major metro areas. Traditionally affordable places across the state are quickly pricing out minimum wage workers and retirees.

Business

Can Seattle turn underused office towers into apartment buildings?

They’re already doing it in Tacoma. We explore that idea, along with other strategies to get people to move downtown so they can help revive it.

Government

Seattle special election: voters approving social housing initiative

Seattle voters are deciding one issue this February Special Election: an affordable housing initiative.

What is the social housing initiative? You asked, we have answers

Initiative 135 would create a publicly owned developer that builds and preserves affordable housing. KUOW’s Joshua McNichols recently reported on some of the arguments for and against I-135, which is the only item on the Feb. 14 ballot. We received a number of questions about the initiative. We looked into a few of those questions.

Middle housing bill passes major milestone in Olympia

Lawmakers advanced a “middle housing” bill out of a key committee this week. It would basically eliminate single family zones, so that people can build duplexes, fourplexes and townhomes instead.