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The number of registered rental properties in Seattle has declined consistently since 2019.  This according to a December 2023 audit by the Seattle City Auditor titled Understanding Seattle’s Housing Market Shift from Small to Large Rental Properties. The audit was performed at the request of several councilmembers in hopes of explaining a decrease in rental properties registered with the city. The audit relied on data derived from the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) passed in 2012, which requires all rental properties to register with the city and undergo regular inspections to “ensure basic safety maintenance requirements are met.” Although the inspection goal evidently isn’t being met, RRIO provides useful data on rental market trends in Seattle. [1] Ironically, the Read More ›

SODO Today Out of all the encampments across Seattle, this one near 3rd Ave & Holgate St could be the most frustrating one for biz owners. I have watched this place get cleared close to a dozen times now. Lots of tax payer dollars wasted. But it keeps on coming back. The most recent sweep happened leading up to the MLB All-Star game back in July. It looked impeccable. But one by one, all the tents and RV’s started coming back. Once again, sweeping is not the issue. The city will probably do that again. However, nothing is being done to get in front of these situations before spiraling out of control. This is the epitome of whack a mole. Read More ›

The youth soccer field at North Green River Park is surrounded by majestic trees and breathtaking scenery. And on weekends, it’s usually packed with kids and families who depend on this field. Many come from underserved minority communities in Kent, Auburn, and other parts of King County.  Early Wednesday morning, Dean Aldridge of Valor Soccer says someone drove onto the field and caused more than $100,000 in damage doing donuts. “These fields serve our most economically challenged kids,” Aldridge tells me. Club officials say all weekend tournaments are now canceled and their season is effectively over. “To see it like this, it hurts my heart,” says Ray Johnson, Valor Director of Development. This is just the latest troubling incident along this stretch Read More ›

In July, walking around the fifty blocks of the Tenderloin, San Francisco’s fentanyl epicenter, I often saw notes like this one posted on lampposts: “Mimi—5’, 100 lbs.—we miss you terribly. Please call any family member. Please call 202 [number].” The Mimis are often hidden in tents, but even for a first-time visitor like me, the dealers and their deals were highly visible. Dealers, often teenagers in clean Nikes, walked alongside potential buyers. They did not just stand at particular corners, as a great streaming television series based in Baltimore, The Wire, showed: These dealers floated up and down a block. Police say they are independent contractors, trying to establish their own clientele, and earning $300 or more on an average Read More ›

Leaving Town Tourists are carefully coming to Downtown Seattle. But all leave shocked at the on going urban decay, especially at 3rd Ave & Pike St. I was out and about early Saturday morning. Even in the wee hours of the day, this place is destroyed. It will be even worse at night. Enjoy what’s left of summer. CM Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) needs to come out here and help.