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By HSC Co-Chairs Marcia Fudge and Steve Stivers Housing affordability is becoming a defining test of November’s elections–and voters want answers. Last year, 82% of Americans said  housing affordability is a problem where they live, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The stakes reach far beyond Washington: election results will shape housing policy […]

By MARK HARMSWORTH  Tacoma voters are being asked to approve Initiative Measure No. 3, marketed as the “Safe Homes for All Initiative.” While the name sounds appealing, this measure would impose heavy new regulations, create tenant unions, steep fines, and a new per-unit rental licensing fee on property owners. The result will almost certainly be […]

By Alayna Alvarez  Denver is three generations away from solving its rental housing affordability crisis at current building rates, per new data from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) shared first with Axios. Why it matters: The long road to balance underscores how deeply the region’s housing shortage runs. How it works: The report, produced […]

By MARK HARMSWORTH Seattle’s ill-conceived ban on algorithmic rent-setting software illustrates what critics see as a textbook case of unconstitutional government meddling in private markets. Now Bellingham is poised to repeat the same mistake. Local activists with Community First Whatcom are gathering signatures for Initiative 26-01, which would prohibit property owners from using apps and AI […]

If you want to lower rents in the next five weeks, rent control is appealing. If you want to lower rents in the next five years, it isn’t. If you want to lower rents in the next five weeks, rent control may be appealing. If you want to lower rents in the next five years, […]

By Marcia Fudge and Steve Stivers States across the country are battling high costs of living that are hitting residents’ pocketbooks harder and harder each day. Nowhere is that more visible than in the housing market. As rents rise and inflation continues to squeeze those on fixed incomes, lawmakers are understandably searching for solutions to […]

Dan Bertolet explains how Washington’s new law reduces mandates for ground-floor commercial space in new apartment buildings.

Nick Coltrain explains how Colorado’s HOME Act and related laws reduce zoning barriers and make it easier for nonprofits to build housing.