UCLA Housing Voice Ep. 95: Low-Rise Multifamily with Tobias Peter
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Jul 30, 2025 Tobias Peter, a senior fellow and co-director of AEI's Housing Center, dives into Seattle's successful low-rise multifamily zoning that has produced over 20,000 townhomes in three decades. He discusses the benefits of detailed case studies, the evolution of project designs, and why fee-simple townhouses are popular. Tobias explains the impact of inclusionary rules on housing production and debunks misconceptions about upzoning affecting property values. His insights offer valuable lessons for cities looking to enhance housing affordability.
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Seattle's Early Low-Rise Reforms Worked
- Seattle reintroduced low-rise multifamily zoning in the 1990s, allowing duplexes to fourplexes by right in targeted urban villages.
- These zones occupy about 10% of residential land yet enabled substantial infill near jobs and transit.
Low-Rise Zones Produced Large Volumes
- About 5,000 detached homes were torn down and roughly 20,000 new units were built in low-rise zones over 30 years.
- That supply increase equals roughly a 2.5% boost to the city's housing stock within those areas.
Developers Shrunk Lots To Hold Prices
- Townhome unit sizes stayed stable (~1,400 sq ft) while lot sizes shrank from ~1,800 to ~1,200 sq ft.
- Developers increased FAR to maintain an ~$800k price point per townhouse despite rising land values.