Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1127356
Multifamily housing can include attractive development that leverages public transportation and provides housing for the people who make our cities work. Another bill adopted by the state legislature and signed into law this year, HB 1923, offers a promising move toward increasing urban capacity for housing, creating a flexible menu of options for cities to choose from to increase housing supply and affordability—including zoning around train stations served by commuter or light rail, bus stops with frequent service, and other high-priority areas THE BENEFITS OF MULTIFAMILY Efforts to change zoning laws and regulations to accommodate more housing options are often hamstrung by public misconceptions about multifamily A 2007 study conducted by Mark Obrinsky and Debra Stein at the National Multifamily Housing Council explored many common arguments against multifamily housing and determined they were more anecdotal than evidence-based These included claims that higher-density housing overburdens schools, produces less tax revenue, creates traffic congestion and parking problems, and requires more infrastructure support, from water and sewer lines to fire protection The study also investigated whether rental housing leads to lower property value and increases crime None of these claims held up to closer scrutiny Far from harming communities, the report found compact multifamily housing can include attractive development that leverages public transportation and provides housing for the people who make our cities work, from teachers and health care workers to cashiers and baristas Having more housing options can often spell the difference between having a truly diverse local economy and a stagnant enclave When more people live close to job centers, the entire economy benefits That's backed up by a 2019 NAHB study, which found multifamily housing has significant positive impacts on local economies In average markets, rental apartments annually generated $2 6 million in local income, $503,000 in taxes and other revenue for local governments, and 44 local jobs The midrise buildings maligned by some policymakers and homeowners are, in fact, engines of growth Besides bringing people closer to jobs and making transit investments more effective, multifamily housing also helps meet the goals of Washington's Growth Management Act by helping concentrate most growth in our cities—and out of our pristine wilderness areas and working lands Single-family neighborhoods alone can't accommodate a fast-growing population and conserve working lands THE RISE OF MULTIFAMILY The necessity of and demand for more multifamily housing is clear In 2018 alone, combined multifamily permits increased by 9% in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties, with a remarkable 71% increase in Snohomish County And there is growing consensus among housing advocacy groups, community-based nonprofits, and developers that multifamily is the housing glue that binds equity with sustainability So maybe it's time to embrace a more expansive vision of the dream home, one that includes housing of all shapes and sizes, and imagine more communities living, working, and playing closer together As dreams go, it's not bad 39 master builder SUMMER 2019 master builder