By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

Single family permits are down 10 percent in the Seattle metro area the first 9 months of the year, compared to the same period last year. The single family permit decline is led by Snohomish County, which is down 25 percent, followed by Pierce County, which is down 14 percent. Within the three-county metro area, the only county to see a slight increase in single family permits through September 2018 was King County, where permits were up four percent.

Meanwhile, multifamily permits are up three percent throughout the metro area. While King County saw a nine percent decline in multifamily permits during the first three quarters of 2018, Snohomish County has experienced an 80 percent increase in multifamily permit activity, and Pierce County is up 35 percent.

The Builders' Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

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By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The latest Builder’s Bulletin includes annual population estimates recently released by the Office of Financial Management (OFM). According to OFM, the Puget Sound Region’s population as of April 1, 2018 was 4,134,660. Over the past year, the region added 67,860 people, which is down from last year but still strong.

The Builders' Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report:

The City of Bellevue is partnering with Govstream.ai to pilot new artificial intelligence tools aimed at improving the permitting process. The effort is focused on reducing permit delays, improving application quality, and helping staff manage growing workloads while maintaining customer service and review quality.

Bellevue and Govstream.ai identified three common challenges in the permitting process. Applicants often struggle to find information before applying. Applications are frequently submitted with missing information. Staff spend significant time working through multiple review and resubmittal cycles.

To address those challenges, the City is piloting several AI tools.

Permit Guide and Email Assistant

The first phase focuses on helping staff and applicants find information more quickly. A Permit Guide chat assistant helps staff research codes, GIS information, permit requirements, and other city resources using official Bellevue data. An Outlook-integrated Email Assistant can summarize email threads, identify applicable codes and site conditions, and draft responses with supporting citations. Bellevue's long-term goal is to make these tools available to the public for 24/7 self-service.

Application Assistant

The next phase focuses on improving application quality before submittal. Applicants upload project documents and the AI helps complete forms, identify missing information, and verify that required documents have been included. The system provides real-time guidance to reduce errors and incomplete applications.

The City is also piloting the Application Assistant with members of the development community. The initial pilot is focused on single-family homes, DADUs, and duplex permits.

First Review

The final phase would use AI to assist with initial permit screening. The goal is to identify basic issues early, route straightforward applications more efficiently, and allow staff to spend more time on complex reviews.

Early Results

The City reports a 30-percent reduction in routine permitting inquiries through its AI tools. Bellevue estimates staff currently spend roughly 20,000 hours annually responding to permit inquiries and hopes to significantly reduce that workload. The City has also established goals to:

• Reduce pre-application inquiry workload by 30 percent.
• Reduce permit resubmittals by 50 percent.
• Improve application quality and shorten review timelines.
• Support new home construction and economic development goals.

City staff reported positive feedback on the tools' efficiency and accuracy. Bellevue emphasized that AI will support, not replace, staff. Human reviewers will continue making permitting decisions while AI assists with research, customer service, application screening, and other routine tasks.

AI Pilot Expansion

Bellevue expects to expand the pilot over time, including a public-facing version of some of the tools later this year. If successful, the effort could improve permit timelines, reduce application corrections, and create a more predictable process for applicants.

For more information, see Bellevue's Innovation Partnership Webpage and the BDC January Meeting Slides.