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MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Housing

Micro-Units: Another Tool in your Affordable Housing Toolbelt

December 12, 2019 by Sarah Bollard
Category: Housing

This blog post provides an overview of micro-units, or small apartments between 125 to 400 square feet in size, their benefits, and some issues to consider when developing micro-housing plans.

Ballot Measure Results from the 2019 General Election

November 12, 2019 by Steve Hawley
Category: Elections , Forms of Government-City , Housing , Public Transit

This blog post provides a brief summary of I-976 as well as many of the city, county, and special purpose district ballot measure results across the state.

New Bill Provides Incentives for Washington Cities to Increase Residential Capacity

July 26, 2019 by Steve Butler
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations , Development Regulations and Zoning

This past legislative session saw the passage E2SHB 1923, a bill intended to encourage more residential development capacity and increase local governments’ emphasis on affordable housing.

SHB 1406: Understanding the Affordable Housing Sales Tax Credit

July 17, 2019 by Toni Nelson
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations , Sales and Use Taxes

SHB 1406 will provide a new affordable housing revenue stream for those counties, cities, and towns that choose to participate; But to do so, those entities must act fast.

Affordable Housing Legislative Round-Up

June 26, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog post summarizes bills passed in 2019 that address affordable housing issues.

From Tenant Protections to Vaping: A Peek at New Local Legislation

June 24, 2019 by Laura Crandall
Category: Licensing and Regulation , Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This post presents a potpourri of interesting legislation that local governments in Washington State have passed, from the City of Kenmore to Clark County.

Legislature Paves the Way for Tiny Houses

May 14, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog post covers ESSB 5383, a new bill intended to enable the development of tiny house communities throughout the state.

Finding ‘Missing Middle’ Housing, Part 2

April 18, 2019 by Leonard Bauer
Category: Housing

The second of a 2-part series looking at the City of Olympia’s 2-year experience to encourage the growth of missing middle housing. Part 2 covers lessons learned.

Finding ‘Missing Middle’ Housing, Part 1

March 28, 2019 by Leonard Bauer
Category: Housing

This 2-part series looks at the City of Olympia’s 2-year experience to encourage the growth of missing middle housing. Part 1 examines the formal processes the city undertook, including the creation of a 16-member workgroup to study the issue.

HB 2578 Prohibits Source of Income Discrimination

December 3, 2018 by Laura Crandall
Category: Housing

Passed in 2018 by the legislature, HB 2578 enacts source of income discrimination protections that prohibit landlords from discriminating against prospective and current tenants based on alternative, non-wage sources of income.

New Legislation Related to Affordable Housing

August 30, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This post looks at laws from the 2018 Legislative Session that promote the development of affordable housing and address the housing affordability crisis, including 3SHB, 2382, HB 1085, SHB 2538, ESSB 5143, and ESSB 1570.

Mobile Home Parks: The Newest Front for Housing Affordability

December 18, 2017 by Lynn Nordby
Category: Housing

One under-recognized inventory of affordable housing is the mobile home park. Consultant Lynn Nordby looks at how communities across the country are protecting this affordable housing resource.

Building Consensus for Bellevue’s Affordable Housing Strategy

September 11, 2017 by Michael Kattermann
Category: Housing

According to a 2015 survey, a lack of affordable housing was cited as a major challenge for Bellevue businesses. Guest author Micheal Katterman talks about the city's successful effort to build an affordable housing strategy— by building consensus among a variety of stakeholders.

Inclusionary Zoning: One Approach to Create Affordable Housing

November 23, 2016 by Steve Butler
Category: Housing

Affordable housing is a big issue facing many communities in Washington. One approach used by a number of cities is called "inclusionary zoning," which requires affordable units to be included within new residential development projects or requires payment for construction of affordable units elsewhere.

Accessory Dwelling Units under the Microscope

July 21, 2016 by Steve Butler
Category: Housing

A look at what ADUs are, how they are regulated by Washington local governments, and new regualtory innovations that may help increase their production.

It’s Time to Implement Your Affordable Housing Policies

March 18, 2016 by Andy Lane
Category: Housing , Planning Advisor

When affordable housing developers step up to meet this need, they are sometimes frustrated by the disconnect between the adopted policies and inconsistent development regulations. This post examines how to get started on implementing regulations that provide fee relief and regulatory incentive programs.

Cooperative Senior Housing: An Alternative to Meet the Needs of Today’s Senior Citizens

November 14, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Housing

The needs of retirees continue to change as they age. Innocative alternatives such as senior co-operative housing may better address today's seniors than traditional senior housing models.

Is Your Community Ready for Micro-Housing?

November 13, 2014 by Andy Lane
Category: Housing , Planning Advisor

You're sitting at your desk at the permit counter. An application is dropped in front of you. You quickly skim the application — hmmm... five stories... 40 residential units... five shared kitchens — huh? Then you recognize the project address as a rather small lot. Your eyebrows (and your brain) furrow as you wonder how the architect could fit 40 units on that lot. Your forehead exchanges its confused furrows for wide-eyed astonishment as it dawns on you — each unit is only 120 square feet! At that moment, what pops into your head?

Block Grants Celebrate the “Big 4-0” and Other Updates from HUD

August 11, 2014 by Lynn Nordby
Category: Revenues , Housing

I recently received an email update from the Northwest Regional Office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that noted some interesting facts and...

Affordable Housing: Where Do We Go From Here?

January 15, 2014 by Carol Tobin
Category: Housing

In December 2013, the National League of Cities issued a report identifying ten critical imperatives facing U.S. cities. One of these critical imperatives is the need for affordable housing and another is the related issue of the shrinking middle class.