The Seattle Times editorial board has long been a foe of housing diversity and density, and they proved that yet again yesterday. The editorial board, which represents the state’s largest newspaper, came out against legislation seeking to reform single-family zoning statewide. Desperate to derail housing reform efforts, the cranks at The Seattle Times deployed an armada of half-truths, red herrings, and misleading points to plead their case.
Representative Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) is lead sponsor of House Bill 1782 and rallying support in the House. She has already corralled 28 representatives to cosponsor the bill, aided by the backing of Governor Jay Inslee, who requested the bill and included it in his housing and homelessness plan.
The Urbanist covered HB 1782 earlier this month; in short, the bill would would apply to cities planning under the Growth Management Act and allow missing middle housing more broadly, including:
- In cities of 10,000 residents or more, duplexes would be allowed on every lot that a single-family home is;
- In cities of 20,000 residents or more, all lots allowing single-family homes would also need to allow triplexes and fourplexes; and
- In cities of 20,000 residents or more, all lots allowing single-family homes within a half-mile of a major transit stop would also need to allow fiveplexes and sixplexes, which could be arranged as stacked flats, townhouses, or courtyard apartments.
However, cities can seek to opt out of the citywide provision if they produce an alternate plan that achieves the prescribed minimum average density citywide. There is no opt-out option for residential lots within a half-mile of major transit, which the bill defines as a bus stop with 15-minute-or-better frequencies at peak travel periods or a variety of other transit stops (e.g., light rail, commuter rail, streetcar, or ferry).
It’s a fairly sweeping bill for a staid American city, which is why The Seattle Times is so up in arms. Their editorial throws everything but the kitchen sink at the idea, but the fact remains it’s a long overdue commonsense step to provide more affordable housing options in a state sorely lacking them. Housing prices are skyrocketing at an alarming rate. This is not just a Seattle problem. It’s statewide.
The average detached single-family home price in Bellevue is $1.36 million, which is up 23% in one year. Bothell is up 33% surpassing $947,000. Average home prices in Vancouver are up 23% in one year and approaching half a million. Spokane’s average home price is up 28% in one year. Bellingham’s home prices are up 25% and are north of $636,000. Olympia is up 24% and above $500,000 for the first time ever. Suffice it to say, median household incomes did not see the same dramatic rises last year. Households across the state are struggling to make rent or make the increasingly daunting leap into homeownership.
