This week the Snohomish County Council unanimously passed MBAKS priority legislation related to lot coverage increases. The Council also adopted an amendment making the ordinance apply retroactively to existing applications.

In the fall of 2019, Redmond applied for grant funding through state Commerce for the development of a Housing Action Plan, intended to incentivize cities to increase the variety of housing types available and increase urban residential density. On March 16, Redmond City Council approved the final Housing Action Plan.

This week, the Kent City Council adopted a park impact fee of $3,282 per single family dwelling unit and $2,451 per multi-family dwelling unit. After MBAKS and interested members met with city staff during ordinance development, the adopted ordinance includes amendments to help offset the new cost. The park impact fee will take effect in mid-April.

The January jobs report was just released on March 16 and showed improvement from the prior month. Washington’s unemployment rate fell from 7.1% in December 2020 to 6.0% in January 2021. The January unemployment rate in the Seattle metropolitan area was 5.8%. The March Builders Bulletin also includes year-end permit totals for 2020, which were relatively flat for single-family. In contrast, multifamily permits fell 17% in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties in 2020 compared to 2019.

Councilmember at-large and Chair of the Housing Committee (Vice-Chair of Land Use Committee) Teresa Mosqueda, spoke this week at the SBC meeting. She spoke about the dire need to address the "missing middle" housing crisis in Seattle and how townhomes are a huge part of that equation.