The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

September 18, 2008

Seattle cannot accommodate the people it's projected to gain over the next three decades without adding homes in single-family neighborhoods, according to members of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.

The reason is that 65 percent of Seattle's land is zoned single-family, with lots averaging 5,000 square feet, creating a population density less than such cities as Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and even sprawling Los Angeles, three representatives of the group said during a session at the 2008 Housing Washington conference, in Tacoma, on Tuesday.

"We believe strongly that Seattle's single-family neighborhoods are going to have to provide more homes in the future to accommodate expected growth," said Jim Burton, an architect with Seattle's Blip Design.

The EcoBuilding Guild -- an association of building professionals and others interested in ecologically sustainable building -- is promoting a plan to protect the character of Seattle's single-family neighborhoods while allowing more (and more affordable) homes close to jobs, creating density needed to make additional transit feasible and adding stores close to where people live.

Michelle Connor, senior vice president of the Cascade Land Conservancy, said at a separate session Tuesday that accommodating new residents in cities would protect natural areas, allow people to drive less, make residents healthier and more engaged in their communities, and make it easier for companies to recruit and retain workers.