MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Housing

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

November 14, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Housing

A tsunami of baby boomers (some 75 million strong) are joining the ranks of America’s senior citizens. The boomers’ different life expectancy, ethnic diversity, lifestyle preferences, and attitudes are changing the complexion of our aging population. The needs of retirees who preceded the boomers continue to change as they age. Addressing these needs will require s...

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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?

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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...

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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...