Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBKAS) has once again partnered with Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl Architecture (GHDA) to produce a project for Gingerbread Village—on display now through January 1, 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Seattle.

This year’s theme is Iconic Destinations. Our project is “Vive La Paris." The display showcases many recognizable Paris landmarks and offers a few special surprises you won’t want to miss.

Project lead Eric Drivdahl designed and constructed this year’s gingerbread project with help from his talented team at GHDA and a dedicated group of volunteers.

Special thanks to MBAKS’ Mike Pattison and Allison Butcher who contributed many hours to the project and Amber Snellgrove for crafting fondant characters for the display; Joe White of Corner 2 Corner Builders Llc for building the bases for our project; MBAKS 1^st Vice President Jennifer Tennyson for volunteering during the construction phase; and our Breakthrough T1D Elf Lina and her family for their help and support from developing the design to the reveal day ceremony.

Support Breakthrough T1D and Diabetes Research
While this event is free, a $5 donation is recommended, and all proceeds go to Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). You can donate online by voting for your favorite project. Please vote for Paris, France/Elf Lina to help support this great cause.

Visiting Gingerbread Village
Add to your holiday fun list by visiting our project! Viewing hours are 9am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday, and 9am to 11pm Friday and Saturday between now and New Year’s Day.

Homing in on Our Region's Housing Statistics

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) released its annual population estimates this week for the state of Washington and its counties, cities, and towns. The report shows that as of April 1, 2022, the Puget Sound region’s population (King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap counties) is 4,383,300, an annual increase of 52,550. Most of the growth occurred in King County, which added 30,650 over the past year. This is down from the average of 33,800 people per year in King County between 2010 and 2020. Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap counties also saw a smaller population increase than the previous year. For more information, see OFM’s press release.

Please contact data@mbaks.com with questions or feedback. We want to know what data would be useful to you!

Months' Supply of Housing Inventory

As of May 2022

	King County had 0.83 months' supply of inventory (up from 0.55 months' of inventory a year ago).
	Snohomish County had 0.85 months' supply of inventory (up from 0.34 a year ago).

Many industry analysts consider a four-to-six-month level as an indicator of a healthy market.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Median Home Price

May 2022

	The median price of single-family homes and condos was $880,000 in King County and $782,800 in Snohomish County.
	For single-family homes only, the median price in King County rose 14.82%, from $869,975 a year ago to $998,888. The median price in Snohomish County rose 16.93%, from $697,000 to $815,000.
	In Seattle, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $899,475. The median price for single-family homes only was $1,025,500, a 11.59% increase from $919,000 in April 2021.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Building Permit Activity

Jobs

	The seasonally adjusted Washington unemployment rate for May 2022 is 3.9%; for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, it is 2.7%.
	Construction employment in Washington increased by 800 between April 2022 and May 2022. Total construction employment is 232,400 statewide and 107,600 for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett specifically.

Source: Employment Security Department: WA Employment Estimates (Seasonally Adjusted), May 2022 and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Population

The Puget Sound region's population as of April 1, 2022 was 4,383,300. Over the past year, the region added 52,550 people, as follows:

Source: Office of Financial Management

Icons made by Freepik from flaticon.com

By Marc Stiles, Puget Sound Business Journal (subscription required)

The size of new houses on Mercer Island will be limited more than anywhere else in the region starting Nov. 1, when new restrictions that the city council approved on Tuesday take effect.

The council voted 5-1 to update the city's residential design standards and approved a new rule to protect mature trees.

The code update affects all of the 6,950 single-family lots on the island, which is a choice market for builders of new homes. The island's average household income of $183,200 is the Puget Sound region's second-highest behind Medina, according to Puget Sound Business Journal research.

New construction and remodeling projects can still be vested under the old code until the end of October, city spokesman Ross Freeman said.

After that, new homes won't be able to cover more than 40 percent of a lot, down from 45 percent. Maximum heights have been cut from 35 to 30 feet, and at least 30 percent of large trees must be kept when a lot under goes major construction. The rules also limit the amount of "hardscape" surfaces, such as decks and patios, to 9 percent of a lot.

Residents who pushed for the change raised concerns about how quickly the character of their neighborhoods have been changing, with old houses being replaced by larger ones.

While the city has been working on the update for about a year, critics say the city rolled out the new rules hither and yon, discussing different changes at different times. They were not discussed as a comprehensive package, according to the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, which asked council members to slow down the process and consider their recommendations.

"This is a lose-lose. The (homebuilding industry) was not heard and the community's primary concerns were not addressed," David Hoffman, a government affairs staff member for the homebuilders, said after Tuesday's council vote.

People are still going to build big houses that will upset some neighbors, he said.