By Cameron Poague, Bothell Kenmore Reporter

There's an expression that says you should enjoy the small things in life.

Going outside and enjoying a walk on a sunny day, for example. Or getting to work or school and back without assistance or inconvenience. For too many, these tasks are burdensome and dangerous. For a few, getting safely to and from their homes has become downright impossible.

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

Building permit data from the Census Bureau show 8,430 single-family permits and 16,764 multifamily permits issued in the Seattle metro area through November of last year. This represents an 8 percent decline in single-family permits and a 5 percent increase for multifamily permits compared to the same period in 2017. The release of building permit and other housing data was delayed as a result of the federal government shutdown.

The Builder's Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report:

MBAKS held its annual Housing Solution Breakfast on October 17, gathering elected officials, industry leaders, city staff and housing partners to elevate the importance of successful middle housing implementation. The event emphasized the partnership it will take to do it right. We used the program to strengthen our messaging on middle housing policy and acknowledge the hard work ahead for many cities.

This year we were joined by 140 guests with over 35 public officials in attendance. The program opened with a video featuring MBAKS homebuilder members and Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. The video highlights the importance of our shared work implementing House Bill 1110 at the local level.

Our Keynote speaker, Morgan Shook, Senior Policy Analyst and Partner at ECONorthwest, provided an overview of Oregon’s middle housing efforts, what’s working and what’s not. Key takeaways include:

• Graduated floor area ratio (FAR) limits encourage the development of more small units.
• Removing minimum parking requirements is another way to facilitate middle housing.
• Local governments should use caution when regulating frontage improvements or other infrastructure upgrades. These costs are substantial and impact financial feasibility, creating an unsurmountable barrier and resulting in fewer homes.
• View the full slide presentation here.

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from Josh Brown, Executive Director at Puget Sound Regional Council and Cathy MacCaul, Advocacy Director at AARP of Washington. Each brought their unique perspective and emphasized why this work is so important for meeting our region’s housing needs.

To learn more about MBAKS’ efforts on Middle Housing implementation, please see MBAKS Middle Housing Implementation Plan.

And don’t forget to read about middle housing in the news! MBAKS and members partnered to publish three editorials this year in support of successful middle housing implementation. Read more here.