Make middle housing in WA easier to build

The demand for housing outpaces supply. There simply aren’t enough homes available to keep prices down. The rising cost of housing can easily be seen by anyone seeking to buy or rent in our region. What can’t be seen are the homes that were never built, which could have increased our supply of housing, due to invisible cost and regulatory barriers.  

I am a proud homebuilder working to construct homes, primarily middle housing, in Seattle. Middle housing is a term...

Opinion: Regulatory barriers still block efforts to add affordable housing

Meaningful work is underway to generate more housing opportunities of all types across our region. State lawmakers last year mandated statewide residential zoning reforms through the adoption of House Bill 1110. The intention behind these actions was to strip away key barriers that have hindered our region’s ability to create a diverse set of middle housing choices, such as duplexes, triplexes, townhouses and courtyard apartments.

While we applaud the work of state lawmakers, this legislation will not have the intended...

Comment: What remains to build more affordable housing in county

Snohomish County is expected to grow by more than 300,000 people over the next 20 years, which will require an additional 167,000 new homes to meet the need. The housing shortfall is making it harder to imagine an affordable future here for our children and grandchildren. To meet the county’s significant need for more homes, bold action is needed to decrease often invisible barriers for more housing of all types.

I have been in the land development and homebuilding industry for over 30 years, helping to build...