The city’s utility says connecting multi-unit housing to overhead power lines poses safety risks. | 4kclips / Shutterstock
Seattle wants developers to build more housing, and has changed its zoning regulations to make that easier.
But builders are running up against another obstacle, explains Greg Kim in The Seattle Times: a February 2025 policy from Seattle City Light required housing with four or more units to connect to the electrical grid underground. “Some builders are in an uproar, saying the process of burying wires can involve uncertain permitting timelines with multiple city departments, requiring months to years of design and engineering, and is preventing some housing from ever being built.”…