Government
How a Seattle Plan to End Single-Family Zoning Could Change Affordable Housing
Some of the proposed tools are untested, some are best practices. Together, they would set the city on the progressive edge.
Seattle may very well be destined to fall into the Pacific Ocean. Until that dark day when the big one hits, the city has to grow and live. And for a place on the brink, Seattle sure seems to want to set itself up as a model for everyone else.
Back in the fall, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and the City Council called on various community leaders to develop a Housing Affordability and Living Agenda for the city. Last week, The Seattle Times got its hands on the draft report of the group’s recommendations. One of the suggestions registers big on the Richter scale: Get rid of single-family housing.