Puget Sound Middle Housing Feasibility Analysis

Seattle WA | 2023

In support of middle housing across the increasingly unaffordable Puget Sound Region, the Washington Department of Commerce hired a team to explore in greater depth middle housing types and development standards. Cascadia Partners (CP) was a subconsultant to Opticos Design and focused on creating a tool to help cities analyze the market potential of middle housing and the impact of policy decisions on housing costs. A market assessment established the market strength translated into demand for different types of middle housing. These findings were backed up with interviews conducted with builders and developers to identify key barriers to development and market realities.

CP's middle housing pro forma tool informed the Middle Housing Toolkit drafted by Opticos. CP led the testing of development feasibility and financial attainability across the zones defined in the Toolkit to provide key insights into local market conditions and how attainable future missing middle housing development will be for residents as compared to the existing supply of single detached homes. Informed by these market underpinnings, the Toolkit illustrated four strategies local governments in the Puget Sound can take in their residential zones to allow for new, denser housing types within existing single-family zones.

 

Client: Washington State Department of Commerce

Services Provided:

  • Urban Analytics + Policy Analysis

Project Type:

  • Development Capacity Analysis