By Mike Richard, The Lens News

Two Seattle mayoral candidates and one city council candidate shared their perspectives this week on hot housing topics in the expanding city, including affordable housing, clean energy, and density issues.

The contenders took part in a panel that discussed ways to make the region “inclusive, resilient and vibrant” as part of Built Green’s 2017 Conference on September 14. The annual event brings construction sector stakeholders together to learn about current best practices and technology for environmentally friendly building.

This week, MBAKS Senior Director of Strategy & Policy Nick Harper discusses our Primary Contacts Program; this program is key to passing our 10-point legislative agenda.

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The latest Builders Bulletin shows year-to-date permit activity through April fell 18% for single-family homes and 37% for multifamily homes in King County compared to the same period last year. Single-family permits were up 6% and multifamily permits up 60% in Snohomish County. Pierce County saw a 5% drop in multifamily permits and a 21% increase in single-family permits. Meanwhile, the May jobs report shows construction employment increased by 30,000 between April and May, reflecting a gain from the previous month’s significant job losses due to the construction 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.

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