Seattle Culture
Do People Really Want to Live in Downtown Seattle? Turns Out That They Do.
Residential growth exceeds that of peer cities
By Rob Smith December 31, 2024
Downtown Seattle is increasingly becoming a destination place to live.
Don’t scoff. The broader downtown area added nearly 2,400 residents this past year, bringing the total population to more than 108,000 people. The Downtown Seattle Association’s “Development Guide: 2024 year-end update” says Seattle has more residential units under construction than any other peer city, with more than 4,000. Sixteen projects were completed in the past year alone.
Citing city of Seattle data, the report notes that “new downtown building permits in the next several years have estimated costs of $668 million; 40% of those projects are planned for South Lake Union, with 20% planned in Capitol Hill and 13% in Uptown.”
The Downtown Seattle Association defines downtown as consisting of a dozen neighborhoods around the city’s core, from South Lake Union to the north; to South Lander Street to the south; Elliott Bay to the west; and Broadway to the east. Neighborhoods include First Hill, SODO and the Chinatown-International District.
Compared to similar-sized, peer cities across the United States, Seattle ranks No. 3 in terms of the sheer number of projects under construction, and No. 2 that are proposed or in final planning stages. The report also finds that Seattle has more multifamily units under construction than any other city.
It also calls Seattle an economic hub as well as a major residential center, noting that downtown “has around 2 million square feet in non-multifamily and hospitality projects under construction, with more than 10 million square feet in projects being proposed or in final planning stages.”
Only downtown Denver delivered more projects than Seattle last year, coming in with 29. Chicago ranked No. 3, Salt Lake City No. 4, and Los Angeles No. 5.
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