Seattle has about 30 housing projects stuck in the pipeline, and KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell said the numbers explain why builders are walking away from the city.
“Second-quarter housing permit applications are down 94% from the same period in 2020,” Angela said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “They have to do something. This isn’t working.”
Seattle City Councilmember Dionne Foster is proposing an 80% reduction in Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) fees for stalled projects, according to PubliCola. Developers would have two years to reach the foundation inspection stage so they can’t pocket the discount and sit on the land. Some new projects in 2027 could receive a 60% reduction if at least a quarter of apartments have two or more bedrooms…