Too bad this good article is marred by such a bad headline.
Fixed it:
To Cut Housing Costs, Some States Are Reforming Fire Safety Rules That Don't Make Buildings Safer
For the record, WA was the first state to pass single-stair legislation, but is now lagging other states in implementation.
@ricoque-opcd.bsky.social
Two blocks is not enough. We want Alternative 5 plus everything within 1/2 mile of frequent transit AS A START.
That IS the “gradual” approach.
Even this approach is too focused on business and not focused enough on families, parks, schools, etc.
Most often 30-45g daily in the Moccamaster. Occasionally 60g if I'm feeling crazy.
I know I shouldn't get mad because it's just a fake argument to block density, but I can't help it lol
As an architect, the whole steep slope thing pisses me off. What's the argument? A slope is too steep for 6 homes, but it's okay for just 1? They treat designing for steep slopes like an impossible task rather than something that has been solved across the world many times over.
@wilsonforseattle.bsky.social and your team …. We continue to get a lot of messages saying “we don’t feel like anything is happening differently under Wilson than happened under Harrell”. It is very concerning that so many people feel disappointed in us for championing you.
I just saw this on an old episode of This Old House. Tom Silva used a wadded up paper bag so it would disintegrate on the roof, spreading the salt around.
Someone who's owned a house for decades and demands their block be preserved in amber for all time vs. someone staring down displacement for lack of workable housing options...these are not equally valid viewpoints. They are not! It's greed and selfishness vs. meeting a basic human need.
Six floors
Single stair
Stacked flats
Social Housing
Surfaces? Permeable
Side setbacks? None
Someone help me continue the alliteration.
Quirindongo needs to go if he considers this a good timeline. Wilson needs to make good on her campaign promises. She's been acting with much less urgency out of the gate than I, and I think many others, anticipated.
*concentration camps
I used to think this but now I think they just viscerally hate renters and consider us an underclass not worthy of being their neighbor.
Very cool, thanks for sharing!
That sounds wonderful! Is there a group that you're involved with that is advocating for these changes? I'd love to participate.
Little stretch of 35th in Fremont?
❤️
Following for urbanist recs in Seoul, as I'll be going in May
A child on a bicycle in front of an oversized pickup truck. Their head is below the hood line.
These ridiculously oversized single occupancy pickup trucks should be heavily taxed due to their danger to society, degradation of the road surfaces, and destruction of our livable planet. They are unnecessary and rarely tow, haul, or go off-road. #Trucks #PickupTruck
The rendering does not capture the way that building meets grade at all lmao
Outlook for the new year ...
Hear me out. What if we taxed rich people to fund education so people didn't need to take out insane loans? And also used that revenue to forgive existing loans?
I took that to mean they are cozy with electeds, not department staff.
That one has been on the market for almost a year. I toured both developments, and the build quality wasn't great. Similar finishes and quality to the 5-over-1 I live in but costs around $800k.
Interesting to see MRN on that design review proposal. They have a couple of developments in Fremont that have been sitting forever. 8 home project on 35th that has 1 home left but has been on the market for over a year and a 6 or 7 home development on Linden that hasn't sold a single home yet.
Let's do Seattle next
Sure, it looks prettier but it does nothing to facilitate any substantial modal shift. If we're going through all the effort and disruption to rework the ROW, why would we turn around and give every lane back to cars?
dads only want one thing for the holidays - and it's car-light/free ecodistricts w/ abundant single stair + mass timber + passivhaus social and non-market housing, open space and a high quality public realm, space for nature and climate adaptation, with coffee shops & bars & places to play petanque
150 du/acre would net 2700 homes on this property. There's an opportunity to add A LOT of homes here even after accounting for daylighting the creek and whatever stormwater infra SPU is imagining.
oooh oooh i have some thoughts on this...
1. abundant social housing
2. space for baugruppen and coops
3. a mixed use car-free ecodistrict w/ abundant open space and high quality public realm demonstrating what climate forward neighborhoods should do
www.theurbanist.org/2025/12/24/s...
