Zoning can be a bit of a snoozer. It’s a wonky topic with a high learning curve thanks to lots of legalese and acronyms — HALA! MHA! TOD! But getting a handle on it can help us get smarter about something pretty critical: how our city grows.

“Education is so important along land use,” says Laura Loe, who founded the Share The Cities advocacy group, “because then you know the levers of power around your community [so you can] make a difference.”

Here are the very basics to help us wrap our heads around this complex subject.

What is zoning, exactly, and what does it do?

Zoning tells us how tall and what kind of buildings are allowed to be in different parts of the city and what they can be used for.

In Seattle, there are five main levels of zoning: single-family residential, multi-family residential, mixed-use (think apartments above a corner store), commercial, and industrial.

Seattle passed its first zoning codes in 1923 and, in an update in 1957, laid the groundwork for our current land use rules. (Learn more about that history on Crosscut and Sightline.) There haven’t been many changes to Seattle’s zoning — until last year. That’s when a judge ruled that local leaders could move forward with a big plan to “upzone” parts of 27 neighborhoods across our city.

Wait, what’s an upzone?

Upzones raise the size and height to which developers can build, or they change what land is zoned for to increase density.

Bigger buildings mean more payoff for developers, but there’s a catch: Developers who take advantage of the new rules must include more affordable housing units in new buildings or pay the city to build them elsewhere.

Why require that?

So our communities can become more dense to make room for our rapidly growing population and set aside space for low-income residents who might not otherwise be able to stay in Seattle.

It’s all part of a plan called “mandatory housing affordability,” or MHA. The city aims to build around 6,000 housing units over the next decade through that program.

Not everyone’s sure that MHA is the best way to keep Seattle affordable. But with our population up 19 percent since 2010, and Seattle homes selling for almost for almost twice as much as they did then ($739,000 vs. $381,000), a lot of people are counting on it.

» Want to learn more about Seattle’s zoning rules, where upzones are already happening, and why single-family zones are suddenly a big deal? Check out our web post for our full Zoning 101 guide, and tell us all your deep down honest questions about Seattle housing here.

Know someone who’d be up for reading more about housing in Seattle? We’ll be digging into the topic this month. Refer them to The Evergrey using this, your personal link to our sign-up form that just so happens to earn you some sweet Evergrey swag 😎 → https://theevergrey.com/invitation/*|UNIQID|*/?campaign=25568

One hundred ninety-one — that’s the number of our neighbors living homeless who died last year, up from 169 in 2017. The number includes deaths from gunshots, blunt-force trauma, suicide, overdose, and sudden infant death syndrome. And it’s a record high for King County. A bit of good news: The number of deaths isn’t going up at the same rate as homelessness itself — but still. “It’s robbing years of life, decades of life,” said Bobby Watts, CEO of National Health Care for the Homeless Council. “And we need to have a sense of urgency, to not just count — although counting is important — but then to do something to help end homelessness, and help get people the health care that they need.” (The Seattle Times)

‘We’d rather be safe rather than sorry.’ Tomorrow night, the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closing for good. And if the incoming “Seattle Squeeze” traffic is a nightmare for us, what’ll it be like for the folks dispatched to 911 emergencies? City teams say they’re feeling ready, and city leaders are activating the Resource Management Center to zip ambulances, police, and fire trucks on the quickest routes they can in the gridlock. The city also has emergency helicopters in case traffic all goes to hell. 🚧 (Crosscut)

Still mad the viaduct’s closing? This simulation video might remind those of us grumbling about traffic (boo!) or crowded buses (ugh!) why this is all happening in the first place: because the viaduct has an earthquake problem, and those are seriously terrifying, y’all. (Curbed Seattle)

Our ‘fake-news buster’ librarian. Di Zhang saw misinformation spread like wildfire during the 2016 presidential election. So Di, a librarian at Seattle Public Library’s downtown branch, started hosting a workshop called “Fake News Survival Guide: Resources and Tips for Staying Informed.” He says it’s popular with seniors, but there’s plenty to take away for digital natives, too. Want to check it out? The next class is on Tuesday, January 22, at the Central Library downtown. (Seattle Magazine)

THE ULTIMATE FIXER-UPPER

Once upon a time, housing was a topic for developers and advocates. These days, it’s for all of us. That’s why we’re digging into it this month. And to do that right, we need your help.

What questions do you have about housing in Seattle? Not the wonky policy questions, necessarily, but the things you wonder about when you consider some pretty basic things: where you live here right now, where you want to live later, and how you think your city should (or shouldn’t) change to be the home you want for yourself and your once-and-future neighbors.

Got a question? Fantastic. Take a moment to send it to us here. We’ll share the three most compelling questions back with you next week, when you’ll vote on which one we should tackle for you this month.

Have a good one, all. We’ll see you tomorrow. — The Evergrey