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  #541  
Old Posted May 24, 2015, 5:05 AM
Ant131531 Ant131531 is offline
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Destroying SF's classic 2-3 story urban neighborhoods with a bunch of bland 5-6 story midrises would be awful and would destroy the character of the city.

Seattle does not really have the same problem as SF as SF is almost built out whereas Seattle still has a decent amount of buildable lots left. There's just simply a shortage of housing. Once Seattle's tech industry cools down, rents will ease. Until then, no they won't.
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  #542  
Old Posted May 25, 2015, 5:13 AM
alki alki is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant131531 View Post
Destroying SF's classic 2-3 story urban neighborhoods with a bunch of bland 5-6 story midrises would be awful and would destroy the character of the city.

Seattle does not really have the same problem as SF as SF is almost built out whereas Seattle still has a decent amount of buildable lots left. There's just simply a shortage of housing. Once Seattle's tech industry cools down, rents will ease. Until then, no they won't.
Yup. Rent increases are being fueled by the job market and in migration. When job growth and in migration slow, so will rent increases.

Last edited by alki; May 26, 2015 at 2:12 AM.
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  #543  
Old Posted May 25, 2015, 6:28 PM
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What form of Rent control are we talking? I live in a city with zero rent control and am from one that did have it. Whereby rent was capped to a certain percentage year over year.

rents are generally the same between the two, albeit it the sudden rise in rental rates has had a damaging effect on my current city( no rent control what so ever), where it was fairly common to receive a 20-22% increase in rent from year to year.

While i don't believe rent control is a savior, i don't really know that it actually constricts future supply. In fact there is more rental housing being built in the city with rent control than the one that doesn't have it.

SF also has the disadvantage of being really the only one in the region that is heavily urbanized, outside of Oakland which is obvious why it has had its trouble. When I lived in the region I was amazed that a city as massive as SF had so much suburban cities adjacent to it ( I lived in San Mateo).

If tech slows down, migration slows and other cities start urbanizing at a faster rate that will aid in the constriction in supply. Since I'm considering moving to Seattle after I graduate from my masters degree, I hope its a little more calm when I arrive.
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  #544  
Old Posted May 25, 2015, 7:52 PM
mhays mhays is offline
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It's hard to answer that without more details, or given that you're just giving an example rather than evidence. However...

When choosing whether to build a building, the developer and financial partners will guess about future rent increases. If increases are limited to 2% for example, many won't build. If they do build, they'll have higher initial rents, because early vacancies are better than being stuck with low rents. Then they'll raise rents 2% per year even in down years rather than fall behind. The effect is diminished with a higher allowed increase.

If rents fall below market rates, there's no much incentive to keep the renters happy, and sometimes actually some incentive to get them to leave, which is related to a lot of poorly-maintained buildings in New York and San Francisco.

Rent control sells among some voters because it sounds good, and much of this stuff is frankly over their heads. But while it helps some people it screws basically everyone else. Except condo owners like me.
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  #545  
Old Posted May 25, 2015, 8:21 PM
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Originally Posted by mhays View Post
It's hard to answer that without more details, or given that you're just giving an example rather than evidence. However...

When choosing whether to build a building, the developer and financial partners will guess about future rent increases. If increases are limited to 2% for example, many won't build. If they do build, they'll have higher initial rents, because early vacancies are better than being stuck with low rents. Then they'll raise rents 2% per year even in down years rather than fall behind. The effect is diminished with a higher allowed increase.

If rents fall below market rates, there's no much incentive to keep the renters happy, and sometimes actually some incentive to get them to leave, which is related to a lot of poorly-maintained buildings in New York and San Francisco.

Rent control sells among some voters because it sounds good, and much of this stuff is frankly over their heads. But while it helps some people it screws basically everyone else. Except condo owners like me.
I was giving more an example than presenting a total case, in my experience the rent control just slowed down the natural cycle of prices. It hasn't prevented housing from being unaffordable for lots of individuals. It hasn't really constricted supply as the area with rent control is still adding many more units.

Most of our developers for rental markets tend to be back by very large capital which is seeking stable long returns and need constant cash flow. Those seeking shorter return cycle have been developing condos and off loading the rental risk to the individual investor, which have even higher initial rents.

As i mentioned in my previous post, i think the rental crisis there will ease as the market evolves, tech begins to pull back and migration eases. I just lived a similar thing as oil companies pulled billions off their future capital plans in the wake of the oil decline.
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  #546  
Old Posted May 25, 2015, 8:47 PM
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I don't know the Calgary development market or any details of rent control where you're from well enough to comment specifically. The multifamily market in Canada seems much less cyclical than in the US and Seattle. And condo liability apparently isn't a barrier like it mostly is here.

Skipping the rehash of my last post.
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  #547  
Old Posted May 26, 2015, 4:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mhays View Post
I don't know the Calgary development market or any details of rent control where you're from well enough to comment specifically. The multifamily market in Canada seems much less cyclical than in the US and Seattle. And condo liability apparently isn't a barrier like it mostly is here.

Skipping the rehash of my last post.
I don't want to derail the thread anymore, but i was suggesting that rent control really hasn't worked out at all. Rentals are still built in places with rent control, yet rents are still unaffordable in both places.

Relating back to the article that started the debate, I would suggest that pushing for rent control would accomplish less than pushing for more flexible zoning and allowing for a competitive market.

In fact the areas that i've lived in that are the most expensive, it wasn't rent control or lack of it that made it expensive. It was very restrictive zoning and built form. The cheapest was something that replicated post soviet warsaw...
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  #548  
Old Posted May 26, 2015, 5:09 AM
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I agree with basically all of that.
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  #549  
Old Posted May 26, 2015, 4:48 PM
alki alki is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LFRENCH View Post
What form of Rent control are we talking? I live in a city with zero rent control and am from one that did have it. Whereby rent was capped to a certain percentage year over year.

rents are generally the same between the two, albeit it the sudden rise in rental rates has had a damaging effect on my current city( no rent control what so ever), where it was fairly common to receive a 20-22% increase in rent from year to year.

While i don't believe rent control is a savior, i don't really know that it actually constricts future supply. In fact there is more rental housing being built in the city with rent control than the one that doesn't have it.

SF also has the disadvantage of being really the only one in the region that is heavily urbanized, outside of Oakland which is obvious why it has had its trouble. When I lived in the region I was amazed that a city as massive as SF had so much suburban cities adjacent to it ( I lived in San Mateo).

If tech slows down, migration slows and other cities start urbanizing at a faster rate that will aid in the constriction in supply. Since I'm considering moving to Seattle after I graduate from my masters degree, I hope its a little more calm when I arrive.
People turn to devices like rent control when things feel like they are out of control. However, they rarely accomplish what people hope they will accomplish. I only posted that comment because its a reflection of the growing frustration people are feeling in this city with the unbridled growth and rising rents. The city needs to find ways to better manage that growth.
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  #550  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2015, 9:43 PM
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120 new apartments at Fourth & Jackson



https://www.djc.com/news/re/12079116.html
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  #551  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2015, 9:59 PM
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‘Timeless’ Hugo House and Piecora’s developments sail through first design review

Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 - 6:02 am by Bryan Cohen






http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/20...design-review/
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  #552  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2015, 2:50 AM
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Last edited by Vashon118; Jul 17, 2015 at 3:03 PM. Reason: Posted in wrong thread
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  #553  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2015, 4:01 AM
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Last edited by Vashon118; Jul 17, 2015 at 3:02 PM. Reason: posted in wrong thread
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  #554  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2015, 2:12 AM
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Some stuff needs removing from the front page. Other stuff needs to be moved around. A couple of things need to be added. The threshold could be increased to 7+ floors.

Complete - First Hill
Anthem on 12th - 12th & Yesler



Complete - Lower Queen Anne
Hyatt House - 56 units & hotel / 416 John St.

http://kauri.com/properties/hyatt-house-space-needle/

Completed - Ballard
Cheryl Chow Court - (51 units, low income seniors)

Ballard SE Long View_big by mSeattle, on Flickr

Completed - Ballard
Solo Lofts

http://seattlecondosandlofts.com/201...rks-solo-lofts

Last edited by mSeattle; Aug 12, 2015 at 2:26 AM.
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  #555  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2015, 2:55 AM
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August 11, 2015
2 ‘Pavement to Parks' projects open
By JOURNAL STAFF

http://www.djc.com/news/en/12080515.html

The city has opened the first two “Pavement to Parks” projects on First Hill.

In a press release the city said that the projects will turn underutilized street areas into public spaces, and help address the need for open space and better pedestrian connections on First Hill.




August 7, 2015
Hercules starts Monday on a big job: painting the Aurora Bridge for $19M
By JOURNAL STAFF

http://www.djc.com/news/co/12080442.html

A seismic retrofit of the Aurora Bridge in Seattle was completed just three years ago, and now the 84-year-old span is about to get cleaned up and painted.

Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will spend the next two years cleaning and painting portions of the bridge, including the original pedestrian rail.

Hercules Painting Co. plans to start the $18.7 million project on Monday.

WSDOT said the goal is to help slow the aging process for the bridge. Sandblasting rust and applying new primer and paint will preserve the bridge and slow corrosion.

The bridge was last painted in 1984.





August 5, 2015
Arboretum loop trail to start this fall
By JOURNAL STAFF

http://www.djc.com/news/co/12080361.html

Construction will start this fall on a 1.2-mile trail for pedestrians and bicyclists through Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.

The trail will run from Lake Washington Boulevard and 31st Avenue East, to Foster Island Drive and Arboretum Drive. The city said it should be complete by December 2017.

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  #556  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2015, 5:06 AM
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20 million dollars to prep and paint a bridge? Am I the only one that thinks thats insane?
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Last edited by Busy Bee; Aug 13, 2015 at 9:30 PM.
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  #557  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2015, 1:57 PM
mhays mhays is offline
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This is about preserving and maintaining the bridge. It has very little to do with aesthetics though that's a side effect.
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  #558  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2015, 8:19 PM
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August 4, 2015

Seattle Lowrise Zones Now Have a Passive House Incentive to Add Floor Area
http://www.djc.com/blogs/BuildingGreen/

The following post is by Joe Giampietro, AIA, CPHC, NK Architects

On July 6th, the Seattle City Council passed a number of revisions to the low-rise zone land use code, including adding Passive House as a way to achieve floor area ratio (FAR) bonuses.

A FAR bonus allows for an increase in building height relative to the area of the lot. Passive House efficiency principles lead to significant energy savings, increased project value, and improved health and comfort for those that live there.

Although this was a minor addition to an otherwise hotly debated set of low-rise zoning updates, this addresses building energy use in a practical and cost effective manner. It is a big move in the right direction.

With the addition of Passive House to the other “green” incentive programs, including LEED Silver, Built Green 4-Star, and the Washington Evergreen Sustainable Development Standards for affordable housing, Seattle has started down the road of recognizing and providing incentives for truly high-performance, low energy design strategies.

More: http://www.djc.com/blogs/BuildingGreen/

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  #559  
Old Posted Aug 13, 2015, 9:02 PM
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Capitol Hill's Hollywood Lofts from back in April. This kind of redevelopment is needed throughout the city.

P4070143-1 by Marcus, on Flickr
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  #560  
Old Posted Aug 19, 2015, 8:59 PM
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August 18, 2015
City land sale will raise housing funds
By JOURNAL STAFF

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12080761.html

SEATTLE — The City Council approved legislation on Monday to use the proceeds from selling surplus city property to develop low-income rental housing.

The city will seek bids for two parcels at 339 22nd Ave. E. in Miller Park. The Department of Finance and Administrative Services estimates the property will generate $775,000.
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