Seattle’s size restriction on micro apartments blamed for rise in rents

Seattle’s city planner recently said that the council’s new rules have made small apartments more expensive to build and charged the board with “overreaching” and not giving micro-housing “a fair shake.”

By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | April 16, 2015

New rules on micro apartments set by the Seattle City Council last fall are receiving some of the blame for higher rents—as much as 72% higher—in the city.

The new rule says that efficiency-style apartments have to measure at least 220 sf. Seattle’s city planner recently said that the council’s new rules have made small apartments more expensive to build and charged the board with “overreaching” and not giving micro-housing “a fair shake,” according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Before the rule, micro-apartments were gaining popularity especially among young renters. From 2007 through 2014, about 3,600 of units with less area than the new rule allows were built in Seattle with rents running in the $600-to-$800 range.

The city is working to develop new policies to encourage more affordable housing. In September, the mayor appointed a 28-member citizens' committee to come up with new policies.

In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Fred Pierce, CEO of Pierce Education Properties, developer and manager of off-campus student residences, chats with Rob Cassidy, Editor, MULTIFAMILY Design + Construction about student housing during the pandemic and what to expect for on-campus and off-campus housing in Fall 2021 and into 2022.