Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD

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1) end parking minimums and implement parking demand management
2) repurposing the right of way to elevate other forms of travel, especially the connection between planned Centers
3) fund and build every bike lane
4) fund, permit, build homeless housing and 0-60 AMI at faster rate.

I can think of one or two, and they rely on access to incredibly rare properties, like this one where they tore down a church and had to navigate a bunch of environmental hurdles.
Took YEARS, and isn't a template for addressing our housing shortage.

www.cottagecompany.com/Communities/...

This is what I've heard from people who develop those cottage clusters that people save to their pinterest board!

DADUs are a thing, yes, but cottage housing is total fantasy in Seattle. Minimum lot size is basically an acre.

great news!!!

Our passive house project, Echo on Eastlake, just achieved a 0.37ACH, which is REALLY, REALLY GOOD!

Maybe false alarm! The fix is in the works!

I just heard the same, that this provision will get fixed before it kills off DADUs

Damn, it was part of the original CB 120993 legislation, before the amendments, and none of us understood the implication.

which is 15' for 2 units, 10' for 3 or more.

And if you don't have an alley, then suddenly the setback for DADUs is 10 or 15'. this is the problem.

how did I not see that either!

@mba-ks.bsky.social you might want to look into this!!!

Seattle is killing off DADUs unless you have an alley!

Being able to build in the rear yard was how DADUs were possible. If you need a 15 foot setback most DADUs will not work!!!

Need a fix before the one seattle plan vote!

@alexis4seattle.bsky.social

Op-Ed: Making Seattle Neighborhoods More Accessible by Design » The Urbanist # Four case studies show how Seattle's new middle housing zoning incentives align with demographic shifts to meet housing demand.

NEW STORY // Op-Ed: Making Seattle Neighborhoods More Accessible by Design

Op-ed by @matthutchins.bsky.social via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/16/o...

Next year Seattle will be doing long range planning for all the higher density areas—One Seattle Plan, Part Deux.

also, anything within the urban villages haven't been touched and are going to be part of planning next year. Lots of ground to cover still within this cycle....

Katie Wilson wins Seattle mayoral race, incumbent Bruce Harrell appears to be preparing to concede - NPI's Cascadia Advocate The exciting race for Mayor of Seattle can now be called. With almost no ballots left to count, challenger Katie Wilson has an advantage that incumbent Bruce Harrell cannot overcome.

Maybe now he can say her name.

www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/...

We didn’t see the northern lights at all in Iceland, apparently they were over here.

I’m happy that Wilson will preside over our World Cup.

Harrell’s ‘City of Seattle’ TikTok also gone quiet.

Pastel of Rural chapel in Iceland by Matt Hutchins

Skogafoss, Iceland, Matt Hutchins

Rural landscape, Iceland, Matt Hutchins

Harbor, Reykjavik, Matt Hutchins

Some sketches from Iceland

Id watch almodovar and gromit.

Mamdani makes headlines in Iceland

News of Mamdani has reached Reykjavik.

Stacked flat options by CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA

Stacked flat options by CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA

Stacked flat options by CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA

Stacked flat options by CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA

4 case studies in using zoning incentives to design viable stacked flats here in Seattle. Two are market, two are subsidized, two are rental, two are ownership. More pathways to success!

drawing of 4 class room child care center combined with 24 affordable 1 bedroom units. by CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD

Combine affordable housing with child care as a basic template that can be rolled out in just about any neighborhood. It is a slimmed down version of what big affordable housing projects already do, scaled to Neighborhood Residential zoning.

ownership flats--16 one bedroom unit can fit on a single 5000sf parcel. By CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD

Our local Habitat for Humanity is building ownership flats for folks making 80% AMI. We could use way more of those, and now thousands of parcels are in the mix!

diagram of Larger flats around a courtyard, designed using NR incentives for stacked flats, landscape and accessible units. 7 units over 4 stories with an elevator. By CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD

Larger flats around a courtyard, designed using NR incentives for stacked flats, landscape and accessible units. 7 units over 4 stories with an elevator.

Case 1: A compact four story building with eleven 2 bedroom/2 bath homes, using incentives to preserve a well placed Tier 2 tree, increase density, lot coverage, height. The project is market rate rental and preliminary pro forma analysis illustrates that it is currently financially viable given Seattle rents, construction costs, current financing, and zoning. By CAST architecture/Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD

Save a Tier 2 tree and unlock an extra story, higher FAR and up to 9 2br/2BA homes! See alt text for more!