Permitting
Back to News Center In 2023, the Legislature passed numerous new laws imposing new housing-related mandates on cities. In the four-county Central Puget Sound Region (King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties) cities were required to modify their comprehensive plans, and to modify their development regulations which implement the comprehensive plans.…
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Back to News Center Seattle King County REALTORS® continues to work throughout the region to encourage cities to adopt flexible and bold comprehensive plan policies and related development regulations to encourage ADUs and middle housing in their cities. We are encouraging policy makers to view increased housing supply through zoned…
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Back to News Center Seattle King County REALTORS® advocacy in Federal Way during Q2 of 2025 focused on support for two proposed ordinances for Middle Housing (MH) and Unit Lot Subdivision (ULS). In addition SKCR connected city councilmembers with home builders and representatives of the Master Builders Association to identify…
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Back to News Center The city of Kent has undertaken its own distinctive and timely two-phase “HOUSING RE-CODE” approach in order to complete the major periodic update to its comprehensive plan, incorporate the 2023 housing-related mandates into its planning, and update its development code and regulations in time to meet…
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Back to News Center Calling the housing affordability crisis in our region “daunting,” former Governor Christine Gregoire stressed the only way to solve this complex issue is via a public-private partnership. Gregoire gave keynote remarks recently during the 31st annual Housing Issues Briefing presented by Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR).…
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Back to News Center Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed an executive order in late June to create an interdepartmental team that is tasked with streamlining the process to build homes and start a business. Titled PACT, or “Permitting and Customer Trust,” the measure represents “the most significant concerted effort in…
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Back to News Center Background During the last 5 years, the Legislature has tried several different approaches to address our state’s housing crisis: Incentives Beginning in 2019, with support from REALTORS®, the Legislature provided financial incentives to cities if they made specific modifications to development regulations to quickly accommodate more…
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Back to News Center Currently, Renton’s city code provides that decisions on land-use-related development applications are made by a professional Hearing Examiner. Once the Examiner’s decision is made, the City Council acts as a “quasi-judicial” appellate body for appeals of most land-use decisions. Seattle King County REALTORS® are making good…
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Back to News Center Regulations accounted for nearly a quarter (23.8%) of the average cost of a new home ($394,300), according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The figures are based on data from 2021, the latest available information. In a more recent study, the 2024 Cost of…
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Back to News Center Seattle issued 987 permits for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in 2023, twice the volume in 2020 when the city issued 482 ADU permits. Officials point to an easing of regulations in 2019 as a key factor, according to a newly released ADU progress report. The report,…
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