Contact: data@mbaks.com

In the Seattle Metro Area, the building permit data for the year-to-date period ending on August 31, 2023, paints a distinctive picture of the region's construction activity. There were 4,021 single-family permits issued during this time, reflecting a substantial 28% decrease compared to the same period in 2022. Similarly, the multifamily segment also saw a noteworthy decline, with 7,851 permits issued, indicating a substantial 46% decrease from the prior year. These statistics show a notable slowdown in both single-family and multifamily construction projects.

Read the full October Builders Bulletin:

Reports Highlight Flaws in Mandatory Affordable Housing Fees

by MBAKS Government Affairs

Two new reports from ECOnorthwest shed light on key shortcomings in inclusionary zoning policies and the nexus studies often used to justify mandatory affordable housing requirements on new market-rate development.

MBAKS commissioned ECOnorthwest, an independent third-party public policy research firm, to prepare these reports in support of more informed local dialogue around affordable housing strategies.

The first report, Mandatory Affordable Housing Fees Carry Unintended Consequences, examines the real-world impacts of imposing affordable housing fees without corresponding incentives. It finds that mandatory affordable housing fees, though well-intentioned, disproportionately affect middle housing projects, often tipping them from risky to infeasible and preventing them from being built altogether. 

The second, How Nexus Studies Misunderstand the Affordable Housing Challenge, highlights a core flaw in the logic underpinning many nexus studies: the assumption that new market-rate housing is the primary driver of demand for affordable housing. The report describes several issues with this assumption, arguing that the framework used to justify mandatory inclusionary requirements misrepresents the true dynamics of housing markets. It does so by ignoring the broader supply shortage and the filtering process through which new housing helps ease pressure on lower-cost homes. By attributing the affordability crisis to new development rather than to structural undersupply, nexus studies risk reinforcing policies that further constrain housing production—ultimately exacerbating the very problem they aim to solve.

The ECOnorthwest reports reinforce the need to continue advancing solutions that increase supply at all levels. MBAKS is committed to being a collaborative partner in addressing the region’s housing shortage so our communities can be more affordable and inclusive for all.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sharon Couts
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
425.499.1723

Bellevue, Wash.—November 14, 2016—Seattle was recently named the “crane capital of America” by a Seattle Times article, with 58 cranes currently in operation, an increase of 38 percent in the past year. And these numbers don’t even include cranes located in Bellevue and elsewhere in the Puget Sound area. With more cranes, more possibilities exist for accidents. That is why, beginning in February 2017, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) and Buildsafe Solutions will be offering free two-day Qualified Signal Person Certification for Mobile Cranes classes. The classes are made available in thanks to a $127,688 grant from State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries’ Safe and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) program.

“We are excited about receiving this grant,” said Shannon Affholter, executive director of the MBA. “Construction site accidents have a huge impact on the construction industry, families, and for anyone affected. We want to prevent accidents. These safety classes teach us how to run equipment properly and keep everyone safe.”

The trainings are free to employers and employees in the construction industry and provide 16 clock hours as well as crane certification. Topics will include crane management, high risks, crane foundations, load charts, range diagrams, crane dynamics, rigging oversight, and signaling, and will provide for a mobile crane signaling protocol and certifications required by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

About the MBA

Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) has grown to become the largest residential home builders association in the United States. With 2,800 member companies, the MBA is dedicated to membership value, government advocacy, financial stewardship, and promoting the residential building industry in the Puget Sound Region. The Association and its members address many of the concerns and issues affecting the residential housing industry. If you are looking to buy, build, remodel, or maintain your home, trust the MBA for industry professional referrals and practical information to get the job done. mbaks.com

ABOUT THE SHIP PROGRAM

The goal of the SHIP program is to identify, fund, and assist with the implementation of safety and health projects designed to eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, because one injury, one illness, one fatality, is one too many.

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