HOUSING & TREES
Maintaining and growing a healthy tree canopy while making room for more housing choices can—and should—include replacing trees. This is an essential part of a balanced tree policy because it provides a pathway to more attainable housing choices, reduces sprawl and...
Tracking tree canopy is a useful method to assess the impacts of tree policies over time. Municipalities can determine how policies, climate change and other factors affect the tree canopy as it changes. When it comes to balancing the need for housing and trees,...
Seattle is the latest city in the Puget Sound region to make changes to its tree ordinance. On Tuesday, Seattle city councilmembers voted to change the way homebuilders and homeowners approach tree preservation and removal. Read our press release on the updated code...
Protecting our region’s environment and confronting the causes of climate change, while addressing the need for more housing are priorities for all our communities, but there are misconceptions that we can’t focus on both. We look to the experts to learn how our...
What keeps housing costs high? There are many factors that can impact the cost of any given home – location, size, condition, and features. At the most basic level, our economic system influences the cost of housing. The lack of housing supply drives up the cost,...
If you haven’t heard already, the City of Seattle has proposed new tree legislation. It is encouraging that the City is attempting to strike a balance between housing and trees. The proposed ordinance is off to a decent start, but parts of the bill are...
A vibrant, diverse and thriving neighborhood can have a healthy tree canopy and housing options for people of varying income levels. However, tree codes that are not balanced can have the unintended effect of subtracting from our limited supply of buildable land and...
Homeowners should be empowered to decide what’s best for their home and property. Unclear or restrictive tree policies can get in the way of homeowners taking preventative measures to protect their homes or using their property more efficiently. With balanced tree...
Our region—and the state of Washington—has a critical housing shortage. A recent public opinion survey conducted by the Puget Sound Regional Council named housing and homelessness as the top two most significant issues facing our state, and respondents in King County...
The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties is partnering with housing advocates, non-profit organizations and other community leaders to help solve a key part of our region’s housing crisis—housing availability and affordability. Learn more about...