On July 6, the Seattle City Council passed Jump Start Seattle, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s payroll tax legislation, by a vote of 7-2. Councilmember Debora Juarez voted no and urged a public vote; Councilmember Alex Pedersen voted no and raised concerns about lost jobs. As amended, the tax will raise $214… Read more
Citing a previously undiscussed restriction of Washington’s Stay at Home order, the Seattle City Council has stopped consideration of the recently resurrected large employer business tax. Read our previous story on the large employer business tax According to published reports, Seattle City Council President M. Lorena Gonzalez has determined that… Read more
In a new version of the employer “head tax” hastily revoked by the Seattle City Council in 2018, Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales have reintroduced a payroll surcharge that would tax Amazon and approximately 800 other businesses. The City Council heard initial testimony on the proposal on April 22.… Read more
“Home ownership builds stronger communities.” “It’s not only about money; it’s also about accountability and effectiveness. We need measurable results.” – King County Assessor John Wilson That was the message from King County Assessor John Wilson to REALTORS® recently when addressing the need to “move forward” with providing more housing… Read more
The newest edition of Issues and Impacts has just been posted. You can access the latest edition and read past editions any time on our Issues and Impacts page. View Fourth Quarter 2019 Edition of Issues & Impacts
iOi Summit 2019: Registration Now Open August 21-22 Hyatt Regency Seattle Calling all real estate innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and executives! The National Association of REALTORS® second annual iOi Summit, which stands for Innovation, Opportunity & Investment, brings together over 500 real estate technology minds, investors, and real estate brokers to… Read more
The region has a lot of work to do on housing and homelessness, but if we work together, we can do it. That was the theme of A Compassionate Conversation hosted by Windermere at The Cinerama in Seattle on Monday in the firm’s first company-wide discussion about homelessness in Seattle.… Read more
The new accessory dwelling unit (ADU/DADU) legislation expected to be considered by the Seattle City Council sometime this summer is a positive step toward creating more affordable housing in our region. However, the proposal goes too far in limiting the choice of individual property owners who wish to build a… Read more
The Seattle Times recently reported that the number of driver’s licenses issued to new King County residents who moved here from out of state declined in 2018 for the second year in a row. That combined with the housing market slowdown at the end of last year might make it… Read more
After a failed attempt by neighborhood groups to block legislation that increases density, the Seattle City Council is finally considering upzones to some Seattle neighborhoods. The Seattle Times reported Monday that the plan under consideration would upzone 27 urban villages, which would allow developers to build anywhere from one to… Read more