Now it’s KING5’s turn. Here’s a breathless Linda Byron on “disappearing parking” in Seattle:

And when it comes to parking, the housing boom is threatening to make free street parking a scarcer commodity in some areas, thanks to city policies that let developers off the hook when it comes to building parking spots in new apartment and condo complexes.

Case in point is a planned 5-story retail and housing complex proposed for 6105 Roosevelt Way NE. The new building will have 2,000 square feet of retail space, plus 128 micro-apartments, where multiple units share a kitchen.

Wait. Housing boom? I thought we had a “housing affordability crisis?” And Bryon’s story comes complete with the standard issue elderly lady. Byron’s story talks about all the old people “people using canes and walkers” unable to park or use transit. This is yet another example of journalists using emotion to make a bad situation worse.

As I mentioned, the headline should be, “Seattle’s Parking Policies are Working!” We’re getting more bike lanes, more pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, and, most importantly more affordable housing! Here’s Mike Podowski from the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) explaining why parking requirements were reduced:

Mike Podowski, land use policy manager for Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development, said the new micro-apartments shouldn’t create a drag on parking in the area.

“Studies have shown with small apartments and microhousing, people own and use cars in a much lower percentage than other types of apartments,” Podowski said. He said the expectation is that the majority of tenants won’t have a car.

And here’s the developer explaining why the reduction in parking requirements helps affordability:

The developer of the Roosevelt project, CWD Investments, says there will be growing pains until the rail line opens. But the developer says the project makes sense because the building will offer lower rents — about 40 percent lower than a typical Seattle studio—which goes for about $1,400 a month.

The Department of Planning and Development says requiring developers to build parking can drive up the cost of housing. City officials say a parking requirement can add up to $30,000 per unit in a new building, boosting the cost of a project by millions and requiring landlords to charge higher rents or sale prices.

So in a twist we have DPD (yes, DPD) explaining why microhousing without parking benefits renters because of lower prices. And once again, we see elderly people being used as props by reporters taking the easy way out, stirring up the passions of their readers and viewers. I’ve been criticized for not having compassion for the elderly people in these stories. But what’s not compassionate is using these older people as tools to make angry people angrier so that preserving parking flexibility–and housing affordability–is impossible. 

As we’ve mentioned already, we’re in a serious bind because of the Hearing Examiner decision in December which is creating problems with many projects that previous did not have to include parking. I’m already hearing that people at City Hall think legislation to address that problem won’t go forward because it’s not good politics. Now those projects may not happen, meaning our housing shortage will get even worse. It’s important to hold journalists accountable when they use vulnerable elders to goad people and politicians into making our housing situation worse.