The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) released two new reports showing how certain local policies are falling short as an effective affordable housing strategy. The reports provide technical information for local policymakers to support successful implementation of state laws aimed at lowering barriers for construction of more homes of all types.

Builder confidence in the housing market slipped to 32 nationally in August, an 18% decline from last year, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

A new MBAKS report concludes that Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability fees have cut townhome permit intake by about 87 percent, inflating costs, shrinking middle-housing options, and jeopardizing an estimated $775 million in future construction-related tax revenue, highlighting the urgent need to reform the policy.

As of April 2025, the Puget Sound region added 50,400 new residents—driven largely by Seattle and King County—highlighting ongoing urban and transit-oriented population growth amid a broader statewide slowdown.

Mandatory affordable housing fees and flawed nexus studies can unintentionally discourage new housing by misdiagnosing the root causes of affordability, reinforcing policies that worsen the housing shortage rather than solving it.