Paternalistic Seattle City Council may kill affordable housing solution

Taken from The Jason Rantz Show on KIRO Radio.

If you want to continue to see paternalism at its worst and most illogical, you usually only have to wait for a Seattle City Council committee meeting.

The latest example comes out of the issue of microhousing, which refers to apodments. They’re basically very small living spaces that include a shared kitchen and communal space. They’re tiny like a college dorm room, around 180 square feet. They’re definitely not for everyone and they’re not meant to be.

Apodments are popping up in densely populated, expensive neighborhoods in Seattle like in Ballard, Capitol Hill, and Eastlake. Why? They provide a cheaper option to mostly young professionals who want to live near work or in more exciting, younger neighborhoods.

When you just lived in a dorm for four years of your life, the transition to an apodment isn’t as drastic.

You’ll likely see this movement popping up outside of Seattle once it proves to be successful. But some folks at the City Council don’t want this to be successful and the reason is absurd.

Under Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, the council has been trying to come up with regulations around this housing option since it’s a new type of development.

And there are some legitimate concerns. Neighbors of proposed developments around the area cited parking as one of them.

So the Planning, Land Use and Sustainability Committee got together to look into legislation around micro-housing and, according to The Stranger they passed four amendments to define apodments: “(1) raise the minimum unit size from 180 square feet to 220 square feet,
(2) require covered bicycle parking,
(3) increase the amount of common space, and
(4) mandate that each unit have a second sink.”

Now, this completely alters what an apodment is. An apodment is supposed to be tiny and efficient. That’s how they get so affordable in a city where the average rent is around $1,300 for a one bedroom.

So why is the council trying to add a sink, or square footage, or more common space, and covered bicycle parking?

The Stranger’s Dominic Holden says councilmember Tom Rasmussen has called apodments “inhumane.”

So in other words, Rasmussen doesn’t want to live in these homes, so neither should you. Councilmembers Nick Licata and Sally Clark are also supporters of these amendments. Clark explains her vote here.

And at the same time, the city is complaining about how high the rents are in Seattle – so much so that they’re thinking about higher taxes on new developments to fund affordable housing projects. But here’s an easy way to address the high rents: apodments.

They’re cheaper. They’re cheaper to develop, cheaper to build, cheaper to rent. But because some folks think they’re uncomfortable and “inhumane.” We don’t get to build them even though there’s a clear market for them, a market full of people who don’t feel like they’re being treated inhumanely.

Taken from The Jason Rantz Show on KIRO Radio.