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50% of the developable land in Seattle is designated for single-family homes, and not one single inhabitable SFH in Seattle city limits is what anyone would cal

50% of the developable land in Seattle is designated for single-family homes, and not one single inhabitable SFH in Seattle city limits is what anyone would call "affordable". The fact that it's illegal to replace those SFHs with duplexes, quadplexes, or midrises is a primary driver of housing unaffordability. Seattle's population growth has outpaced its housing growth for multiple decades. There's a huge amount of "catching up" to do, and SFH zoning is blocking that from happening. Once enough there's enough housing to hold all the rich people that want to live here, of which there are many, you will see some downmarket construction happening. But we're a long way away from that.

eyelidlessness 5y ago
They’re replacing SFHs with multiplexes all over the city all the time. Instead of assigning A/B/C units or fractions they just split the numbers already designated for the lot. Zoning for MFHs won’t change that. It’ll maybe bring more skepticism to luxury developments. But people buying million dollar units with no lot will know they’re buying the same thing. And mixed use luxury apartments are the only development otherwise. No one is building anything more affordable in zoning more favorable for it. At best this is trickle down economics where everyone who needs somewhere affordable to live might be able to get scraps at the most dangerous furthest flung place in Lake City.
- zo1 5y ago
  So if this is a "problem" for government to fix via either Zoning being abused or the free-market being naughty, then why doesn't the government just create very specific and targeted "high-density, high-rise, cheap-price" zone that can only be built with the right and necessary units?
- rdtwo 5y ago
  Dude have you been to lake city? The only area that’s dangerous is where there city built one street up with all projects. It’s significant safer than Ballard university district and and capital hill

eyelidlessness 5y ago

They’re replacing SFHs with multiplexes all over the city all the time. Instead of assigning A/B/C units or fractions they just split the numbers already designated for the lot. Zoning for MFHs won’t change that. It’ll maybe bring more skepticism to luxury developments. But people buying million dollar units with no lot will know they’re buying the same thing. And mixed use luxury apartments are the only development otherwise. No one is building anything more affordable in zoning more favorable for it. At best this is trickle down economics where everyone who needs somewhere affordable to live might be able to get scraps at the most dangerous furthest flung place in Lake City.

zo1 5y ago
So if this is a "problem" for government to fix via either Zoning being abused or the free-market being naughty, then why doesn't the government just create very specific and targeted "high-density, high-rise, cheap-price" zone that can only be built with the right and necessary units?
rdtwo 5y ago
Dude have you been to lake city? The only area that’s dangerous is where there city built one street up with all projects. It’s significant safer than Ballard university district and and capital hill