Residents in Seattle and Spokane Are in Favor of Developing Additional Apartments

With growing housing prices, most residents of Washington’s main metro regions approve the construction of new apartments near their homes, according to a Zillow study.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue and Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington’s two most populous metropolitan regions, participated in the study. Between January and February of 2022, a total of more than 850 people were interviewed in both metro areas.

The housing market in both Spokane and Seattle seems to be overcrowded and overpriced, according to a recent survey. Residents of Seattle and Spokane are equally concerned about home costs, according to Zillow, at 73% and 74%, respectively.

• Accessory dwelling units, which Seattle residents favor 72% of the time and Spokane residents support 81% of the time, are largely supported by both cities’ residents.
• Duplexes and triplexes; 66% approval in Seattle and 70% in Spokane.
• Apartment structures; 53% of Seattle residents and 50% of Spokane residents approve them.

Zillow points out that people’s views on this specific topic are polarized. More than half of those who oppose the construction of new apartment complexes in Seattle say they strongly disagree with them, while the other half say they strongly agree.

More than half of people in Seattle and Spokane supported the construction of apartment complexes, while the majority of people in the suburbs were less enthusiastic. People in the suburbs preferred more moderate densification measures like duplexes, triplexes, and auxiliary living units.

As a result, suburbanites in Seattle (71 percent) and Spokane (70 percent) said that they would be in favor of small or medium-sized apartments.

In both Seattle and Spokane, the majority of respondents (62 percent in Seattle and 54 percent in Spokane) said that these additional residences will have a detrimental effect on parking and traffic. Free parking is more essential to 60 percent of Seattle residents and 61 percent of Spokane residents than providing more affordable homes.

House Bill 1782 was the subject of a hearing on Saturday, and two things are clear: There is a severe housing shortage in Washington State, and reaching a consensus on how to address it will be difficult. It’s dubbed as the “Missing Middle” housing measure because it would overturn the restriction on multi-family dwellings in certain jurisdictions.

The objective is to increase the supply of more reasonably priced “middle housing,” such as duplexes, triplexes, and townhouses. For properties within a half-mile of major transportation hubs, HB 1782 would alter residential zoning regulations.

New Burien City Councilmember Hugo Garcia spoke in support of the measure. He claimed that the only way he could manage to be near to his ailing parents was to live in a duplex. Other mayors in the Puget Sound region aren’t as enthusiastic.

Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Kent, Auburn, and Lake Stevens elected officials all came out against the measure, as did the mayor of Lake Stevens. As a response to worries over over-expansion, several leaders suggested that regional governments had a better knowledge of local requirements.

This law will increase the density outside the metropolitan center, where amenities like shopping and education aren’t readily available,” Mary Lou Pauly of Issaquah stated. In his words, “This law will lead to car-centric development undercutting our climate objectives and exacerbating our inadequate transportation infrastructure.”

Nobody disputed the need for affordable housing. The cost of a house in the Puget Sound region has increased dramatically during the last three years.

Photo: “The city of Seattle, Washington in the fall, from amazon.com, Beacon Hill, USA” by Wonderlane is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0