Make Apartments Legal Again! - #MALA

Make Apartments Legal Again! #MALA

Why? Because single family zoning is born of the era #MAGA refers to.

Housing is what Seattle needs. It’s what most cities in America and much of the world need. It’s not rocket science. When you think deeply (or obviously) about what a city is:

Seattle is a city. It’s not the biggest city in the world, but it’s a city. Currently, it costs too much to live here because of a mindblowingly difficult concept -> More people are moving here every day. It’s also illegal to build enough housing for all the new folks pouring in. We only allow new apartments in a handful of neighborhoods. If you’re wondering why black people are getting forced out of the Central District: Racist and restrictive single family zoning is answer.

Yet, for some reason in our society we need to ask permission from the government - The City Council here in Seattle - To be build a place to live. We’ve politicized the process of letting humans live. That would be fine if politicians were calm, rational, and completely selfless. Oops.

Do we really want to live in a world where you have to beg a group of nine councilsmembers for the right to build a place to live? District councilmembers are elected by a few thousand votes in a city of about 750,000. These overlords of zoning are beholden to a scant % of the city for votes. We need to take away the council’s right to stop housing from existing.

Japan has density like Seattle has dark grey winter days, but their housing first zoning preference leads to dense and affordable cities. Basically, instead of justifying the right for housing to exist you have to justify why it can’t. This is a country with an Emperor. Isn’t America supposed to be the “freest county on the world?”

We made apartments illegal as a society in the past, and we must legalize them again. We’re blowing the opportunity our tech job growth represents by not legalizing enough housing for everyone who lives here.

Also if you let people build some apartments, it’s not gonna turn Seattle into a Hong Kong style megapolis. What we’re talking about - if we were to legalize apartments in most of the city are duplexes and triplexes. The perfect missing-middle housing option. Also ground-level, stair-less units are ideal for people with disabilities and for the elderly.

In an ideal world you will grow old and frail, don’t you want to legalize a place to live for future you?

Homelessness and Affordability are a big topic in this year’s City Council races with 7 open seats. The candidates can talk about socialism, privelge, climate change, racism for hours on end. All these themes have a place in the discussion, but we will never solve our housing problem so long as apartments are illegal in most of the city. We also shouldn’t have to beg for more units like Oliver Twist asking for a second helping of gruel. People have a right to exist. It’s insane that we must ask permission from politicians to allow enough housing units for every human in Seattle.

So far District 3 Candidate Logan Bowers is the loudest champion for legalizing apartments. So if you want Seattle to function again, vote for him if you live in District 3 or donate to his campaign.

(I’m a Logan donor - But if you want to think this makes me biased. It does. At least I put my money where my mouth is)