Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBKAS) has once again partnered with Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl Architecture (GHDA) to produce a project for Gingerbread Village—on display now through January 1, 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Seattle.

This year’s theme is Iconic Destinations. Our project is “Vive La Paris." The display showcases many recognizable Paris landmarks and offers a few special surprises you won’t want to miss.

Project lead Eric Drivdahl designed and constructed this year’s gingerbread project with help from his talented team at GHDA and a dedicated group of volunteers.

Special thanks to MBAKS’ Mike Pattison and Allison Butcher who contributed many hours to the project and Amber Snellgrove for crafting fondant characters for the display; Joe White of Corner 2 Corner Builders Llc for building the bases for our project; MBAKS 1^st Vice President Jennifer Tennyson for volunteering during the construction phase; and our Breakthrough T1D Elf Lina and her family for their help and support from developing the design to the reveal day ceremony.

Support Breakthrough T1D and Diabetes Research
While this event is free, a $5 donation is recommended, and all proceeds go to Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). You can donate online by voting for your favorite project. Please vote for Paris, France/Elf Lina to help support this great cause.

Visiting Gingerbread Village
Add to your holiday fun list by visiting our project! Viewing hours are 9am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday, and 9am to 11pm Friday and Saturday between now and New Year’s Day.

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) has posted its annual population update, which shows continued growth in the Puget Sound region. As of April 1, 2021, King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties added 66,200 people. According to The Seattle Times, the Seattle metropolitan area, which includes King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, now exceeds 4 million people.

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:

Reports Highlight Flaws in Mandatory Affordable Housing Fees

by MBAKS Government Affairs

Two new reports from ECOnorthwest shed light on key shortcomings in inclusionary zoning policies and the nexus studies often used to justify mandatory affordable housing requirements on new market-rate development.

MBAKS commissioned ECOnorthwest, an independent third-party public policy research firm, to prepare these reports in support of more informed local dialogue around affordable housing strategies.

The first report, Mandatory Affordable Housing Fees Carry Unintended Consequences, examines the real-world impacts of imposing affordable housing fees without corresponding incentives. It finds that mandatory affordable housing fees, though well-intentioned, disproportionately affect middle housing projects, often tipping them from risky to infeasible and preventing them from being built altogether. 

The second, How Nexus Studies Misunderstand the Affordable Housing Challenge, highlights a core flaw in the logic underpinning many nexus studies: the assumption that new market-rate housing is the primary driver of demand for affordable housing. The report describes several issues with this assumption, arguing that the framework used to justify mandatory inclusionary requirements misrepresents the true dynamics of housing markets. It does so by ignoring the broader supply shortage and the filtering process through which new housing helps ease pressure on lower-cost homes. By attributing the affordability crisis to new development rather than to structural undersupply, nexus studies risk reinforcing policies that further constrain housing production—ultimately exacerbating the very problem they aim to solve.

The ECOnorthwest reports reinforce the need to continue advancing solutions that increase supply at all levels. MBAKS is committed to being a collaborative partner in addressing the region’s housing shortage so our communities can be more affordable and inclusive for all.