YIMBY News for 10/8

[Eric Budd]

Fire Marshals Target Backyard Cottages with Proposal for Wider Pathway Requirements

The Urbanist

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KEYWORD SCORE: 47.73. affordable, affordable housing, apartment, construction, density, development, growth, house, housing, housing cost, housing crisis, parking, parking lot, single family, urban, walk, zone

The Washington State Building Code Council is considering changes to the state’s fire code proposed by the Washington Association of Fire Marshals that would require five-foot wide pathways on lots with more than two dwellings. The proposed rule change is meant to address the proliferation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) across the state and what the fire marshals contend is a trend in access pathways as narrow as three or four feet wide. The fire marshals claim these narrow pathways make access by first responders with gurneys or fire ladders more difficult. But developers and housing advo

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How the Great Real Estate Transfer Will Reshape Our Cities

Governing

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KEYWORD SCORE: 36.08. affordable, development, housing, mixed-use, preservation, real estate, rent, single-family, urban, walk, zoning

Millennials — Americans born between the early 1980s and late '90s — are about to become the nation’s wealthiest generation. Estimates of assets that will move from baby boomers to millennials over the next two decades range from $84 trillion to $124 trillion, a transformation that will have a profound impact on how cities look and function. Local governments will need to begin preparing for this transformation. That’s because family real estate is a crucial part of the coming wealth transfer: While boomers make up 20 percent of the country’s population, they own 41 percent of the real estate.

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More than a dozen Colorado cities at risk of losing out on state funding based on their housing policies

Colorado Public Radio

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KEYWORD SCORE: 31.00. affordable, apartment, construction, density, development, homeowner, housing, mixed-use, parking, preservation, rent, supply, transportation, zoning

Colorado has named more than a dozen cities that are out of compliance with state housing policies and potentially at risk of losing millions of dollars in state grants. This follows an executive order Polis signed on May 16 ordering departments to shut off some state grants to cities and counties that aren’t following laws that could pave the way for denser residential development. The money at stake includes discretionary grants or loans for housing development, land use, transportation, infrastructure, historic preservation, mixed-use incentives, conservation, energy and climate efforts. Th

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Colorado Springs’ draft 2026 city budget contains $31 million in proposed cuts

Colorado Public Radio

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KEYWORD SCORE: 23.42. downtown, growth, housing, project, rent

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade delivered his annual budget proposal to city council Monday. The proposal anticipates an $11 million shortfall and an increase of $20 million in operating costs, for a total of $31 million in cuts. The cuts will include previously announced furloughs, the closure of the Meadows Community Center, layoffs, changes in revenue streams, a pause on cost of living and performance based raises for city employees, and further cuts across departments. Some of these cuts, like the layoffs and closure of the Meadows Community Center, are already in process. Cuts across

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Lake Washington Boulevard Safety Upgrades Fully Designed Before Mayor Pulled Plug

The Urbanist

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KEYWORD SCORE: 22.67. bike lane, construction, project, rent, transportation, urban, vision zero, walk

South Seattle traffic safety advocates have been trying to piece together what happened behind the scenes to cause Seattle Parks and Recreation to quietly cancel a set of planned safety upgrades along Lake Washington Boulevard this year. The traffic calming measures, which had been announced in 2024, were the result of a long community process around the future of the park boulevard, but they were abruptly removed from the project’s website in July. New public records obtained by *The Urbanist* show just how close some of those upgrades were to going into place, with a major intersection redes

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These 14 Colorado cities aren’t complying with state housing laws. It could cost them $280M in grants.

Colorado Sun

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KEYWORD SCORE: 21.67. affordable, affordable housing, construction, density, house, housing, land-use, project, transportation

[image: A row of newly built townhouse-style buildings with scaffolding and construction materials in the foreground under a cloudy sky.] [image: The Unaffiliated — All politics, no agenda.] ------------------------------ Fourteen Colorado cities that Gov. Jared Polis’ administration says aren’t complying with new state laws aimed at boosting affordable housing have been kicked to the back of the line for $280 million in state grants. The governor’s office released the list of cities Tuesday, saying other municipalities will be prioritized to receive the money for housing, energy, infrastructu

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