Seattle Housing Proposal Falls Apart Amid Building Slowdown

Seattle's housing shortage could become even worse after a proposal to temporarily reduce Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) fees for developers appears to have collapsed. The proposal would have temporarily reduced MHA fees by 80% to help thousands of stalled housing projects move forward. Supporters argued the policy would increase housing production at a time when new multifamily construction has fallen dramatically. Seattle Housing Roundtable co-founder Natalie Quick warns that new multifamily housing applications are now down 94% from their peak, while housing completions have also fallen sharply. She says delaying action could cause thousands of planned housing units to disappear altogether. Meanwhile, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's office says concerns were raised by community groups that felt left out of the proposal, leading City Hall to pause the effort. In this report: Seattle housing crisis Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) Seattle development Affordable housing Housing construction Housing permits Seattle real estate Katie Wilson Seattle Housing Roundtable Housing policy Washington housing Seattle City Hall Subscribe for daily reporting on Washington housing, taxes, business, public policy, and government accountability from The Center Square. #SeattleHousing #HousingCrisis #Seattle #AffordableHousing #RealEstate #Development #KatieWilson #WashingtonState #TheCenterSquare #WashingtonInFocus