The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, (MBA), presents the 2014 Housing Summit focusing on dwindling buildable land in the Puget Sound area on Sept. 23.
“Accommodating Housing Needs with Less Land” will include presentations by top housing experts. State Rep. Larry Springer, 45th District from Kirkland, will join other legislators, homebuilders and housing experts in a follow-up discussion focusing on solutions.
The free event will take palce 7:30-11:30 a.m. at Meydenbauer Convention Center (Exhibit Hall), 11100 NE 6th St. in Bellevue. Space is limited and early reservations can be made online at MasterBuildersInfo.com or by calling the Association’s Events Department at (425) 451-7920.
The program will focus on challenges posed by a shortage of buildable land from both national and local perspectives. The Housing Summit will explore how best to forge a path forward and meet Growth Management Act housing targets as the Puget Sound area faces a diminishing buildable land supply.
The 2014 summit is supported by presenting sponsor Puget Sound Energy along with Cobalt Mortgage, Bill Korum’s Puyallup Nissan, Regence and the MBA Health Trust.
Sharing the latest data on buildable land supply will be David Crowe, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and local presenter Todd Britsch, president of New Home Trends. Nancy Bainbridge Rogers, land use attorney at Cairncross & Hempelmann, will address some of the legal challenges to creating supply.
Britsch and Rogers will also participate in a discussion focusing on legislative solutions helping to form the basis of next steps for the industry. Other panel members will include Senator Joe Fain (R) 47th District, from Auburn; Senator Marko Liias (D) 21rst District, from Mukilteo; Representative Jay Rodne (R), 5th District, from Snoqualmie, and Springer. Homebuilders participating in the panel include Mark Kaushagen from Pulte Group, and Lynn Eshleman from Pacific Ridge Homes, based in Snohomish County.
“The Summit will address a tough reality we face in our growing region with need-to-know information about the central Puget Sound’s shrinking housing capacity. We believe it is critical to work collaboratively and find solutions that meet the region’s housing needs while avoiding escalating home prices to unsustainable levels,” said MBA Executive Director Shannon Affholter.
He said this year’s event will be of interest to those engaged in housing and land use, from residential and commercial developers to Realtors, lenders and state and local officials.
