Yonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023

We released a report at Urban Institute today on land-use policies & housing in the Puget Sound.

Our research estimates zoning constraints, potential zoning "envelopes," & likely construction given the market. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/making-room-housing-near-transit

Making Room for Housing near Transit: Zoning's Promise and Barriers

In addition to the report detailing our findings, we present a companion product that includes an analysis of potential policy reforms for each of 35 municipalities and unincorporated areas in the Puget Sound region, with maps representing neighborhoods in each community within a half–mile of transit stations.

Urban Institute
Show threadYonah Freemark

Our research offers new insight into housing conditions in the Seattle region.

Our investigation shows that housing production has not matched growth in recent decades. Despite Seattle building more per-capita housing than most other regions recently, construction slowed.

Jan 5, 2023 at 6:42pmWeb
Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023

Are areas near transit stations in the Puget Sound planning to accommodate new housing? The region has many new lines planned in the coming years.

But 40% of land near transit is restricted to single-family homes. Almost all new construction has been in multifamily zones.

Show threadLethJan 5, 2023
@yfreemark Look into Home in Tacoma.
Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023

Construction is not equitably distributed among Seattle-region municipalities. Some high-cost cities, like Mercer Island & Lake Forest Park, have built less than other communities despite developer demand.

A big explanation is single-family zoning, which restricts construction.

Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023
We modeled what zoning allows compared to existing housing. The zoning "envelope" allows more housing to be built regionwide. Discrepancy likely results from:
—homeowners not wanting density
—large parcels difficult to redevelop
—low-demand communities have biggest envelopes
Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023
We then tested a variety of zoning reform strategies that could be implemented in different parts of the region. These could add housing at different density levels in different station areas around the region.
Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023

We estimate that, if all reforms were implemented, they would increase the zoning envelope—meaning the maximum number of units that could be built—by ~350k units near transit.

More realistically based on market conditions, they could produce ~60k more units over the next decade.

Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023

We show that different reforms would have different impacts, depending on the neighborhood affected.

A reform allowing 4plexes would be most useful in areas with the tightest current zoning.

A reform doubling allowed density near transit could be most effective in dense areas.

Show threadYonah FreemarkJan 5, 2023
Our new report and its data may be particularly useful in the context of a new bill in the Washington legislature that proposes to increase allowed zoning in communities around the state https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=1110&year=2023 https://www.sightline.org/2023/01/03/washingtons-2023-middle-housing-bill-explained/
Washington State Legislature