Joshua McNichols
Growth and Development Reporter
About
As KUOW's Growth and Development reporter and co-host of KUOW's Booming podcast, Joshua's "growing pains" beat sits at the nexus of housing, transportation, urban planning, government and the economy. His favorite stories also include themes of history, technology, and climate change.
Joshua holds a B.A. in Architecture from the University of Washington. Public Radio is his second career; architecture was his first. He is proud of the many odd jobs he's held in his life, such as salmon fisher, author, bike courier, and bed-and-breakfast cook.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him
Professional Affiliations: The Society of Professional Journalists, Western Washington Chapter
Stories
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Business
Vacant storefronts are common downtown but rare in Seattle suburbs
Vacant retail stores may be common in downtown Seattle and its surrounding neighborhoods, but they’re exceedingly rare in the Seattle metro region as a whole. In fact, retail vacancy rates are at near record lows.
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Do townhomes drive down housing costs? Social science has an answer
Townhomes are cheaper to build than single-family homes. Homebuyers and renters may not see savings though, unless a lot more homes hit the market. In our continuing coverage of Washington State's landmark "middle housing bill," which would encourage more townhomes statewide, we dig into the question of whether density can bring prices down, and bring in a (social) scientist.
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Government
Will increased density through HB-1110 actually lower WA home prices?
KUOW Housing Reporter Joshua McNichols walks us through the details behind how housing density can help lower housing costs through increased supply.
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Government
Corrections Corner: HB 1110 and Small Communities
KUOW Housing Reporter Joshua McNichols sits down with Soundside host Libby Denkmann to talk about a quick correction to reporting about HB 1110.
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More housing is on the way, but parking? Maybe not
One parking stall on small lots, two stalls on larger lots: That's all cities can require on middle housing developments, whether the project is a duplex or a six-unit building.
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Government
Final steps for Washington state's middle housing bill
The middle housing bill passed the Washington State Senate this week. It would allow duplexes and townhomes in neighborhoods now dominated by single-family homes. But where the density goes is still being negotiated.
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Government
Seattle City Council debates details of proposed $1 billion housing levy
The most recent housing levy will expire this year. On Wednesday, the city council started planning for the next one. Most support the mayor's call for a $1 billion levy, but not without tweaking how the money's spent.
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Small apartments from 100 years ago offer townhome alternative
A century ago, Seattle faced an even bigger housing shortage than it does now. Buildings people built in response offer clues as to how we might respond today. But it’ll take some changes from Olympia to make that happen.
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Seattle is losing more apartments than it's building. Small landlords blame overregulation
Data from Seattle’s Rental Registration and Inspection database reveal a trend: For every apartment created in a big, new building, a small landlord takes one off the market.
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Government
Harrell promises downtown fix, but offers few details
Can downtown Seattle be fixed without raising taxes? Business leaders want it. Mayor Harrell has promised to do it. But his plans on what to do and how to pay for those changes remain murky at best.