Sonja Trauss on MIZ: What’s Actually Going to Happen
Last Thursday one of my heros, Sonja Trauss, was in town because I invited her to speak at the Seattle Builders Council dinner. We all had a good time. And Trauss did not disappoint with her presentation, challenging the audience to talk differently about housing, and profit, and how we need more housing to solve […]
Here We Go Again: Commercial Rent Control Still On the Table
A proposal for commercial rent control is back! Bad ideas seem to thrive in Seattle. Or I should say, old ideas. Don’t like the price of something? Freeze it in place. Don’t try to understand or address the underlying issues about why prices are going up or even ask, “Are they going up that fast?” […]
Will Speaker Chopp Open His Eyes?
After checking State law and asking a former colleague in the non-profit housing profession, I confirmed that many if not most non-profit, subsidized affordable housing projects don’t pay property taxes. This is what makes the opposition by State Representative Frank Chopp, Speaker of the House, of legislation to expand the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) Program […]
