Seattle City Council lifts 10-year-old affordable housing restrictions

The Seattle City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to lift restrictions that have constrained development over the last decade of micro-apartments.

Ten years ago, the City Council imposed a minimum unit size of 220 square feet on mini-units and added other requirements, including having at least two sinks per apartment. Mayor Bruce Harrell, who was on the council in 2014, told the Business Journal in 2022 that he would examine the issue and make the findings part of his efforts to address the housing affordability crisis.

It was a new state law, however, that brought the issue back to City Hall. The state will require cities to allow micro-apartments in any urban growth area by the end of 2025.

Harrell did fast-track the effort to undo restrictions, a city Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) official said earlier this year. Tuesday's action, which followed earlier Land Use Committee discussions on the matter, took only about five minutes.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2024/09/25/city-council-lifts-micro-apartments-restrictions.html