The Madrone Apartments, located in Seattle's Central Area, represent a radical approach to urban residential development to achieve excellence in sustainability. Comprising 107 units spread across two distinct yet interconnected “towers”, this project redefines high-density living with its innovative design and commitment to sustainability. Built on two compact infill sites, the eight-story development creatively maximizes the available urban space while offering a unique living experience that blends privacy, comfort, and environmental responsibility.

One of the most notable aspects of the Madrone Apartments is the project team’s commitment to sustainability. The project is certified by the Passive House Institute of the United States (PHIUS) as a Passive House Multifamily Apartment building, a globally recognized German benchmark for energy-efficient construction. This standard is achieved through a highly insulated building envelope, which utilizes state-of-the-art materials and technical detailing to effectively retain heat and maintain consistent indoor temperatures. The inclusion of high-performance windows further enhances the building's thermal efficiency, reducing energy loss while maximizing natural light. This strategy manages solar gain to exploit the sun's energy for heating purposes in the heating season and to minimize overheating during the cooling season. Where necessary, some units provide cooling to offset the potential overheating in the summer months.

The focus on sustainability extends beyond just energy efficiency. By prioritizing these principles, the Madrone Apartments not only lower operational costs for residents but also significantly reduce the building’s environmental and carbon footprint. The Passive House design approach and standards deliver superior air quality and comfort for residents while creating a resilient building, with long-term performance as the expectation for owners and residents looking to maximize a building’s lifetime. The design process to produce a Passive House certified project involves the entire consultant team as early as the Schematic Design phase. This is unusual compared to most urban housing projects. 

The interconnectedness of the structure with the envelope design, the mechanical design with the floor plans and building elevations, the plumbing design and the electric design contribute to the unique solution for Madrone. This approach creates a healthier living environment, contributing positively to the overall well-being of its residents and the broader community. As extreme climate events such as wildfires, heatwaves, and winter storms become more common every year, the region’s housing supply will need to increasingly meet demands to protect residents in what has historically been a temperate environment.

The Madrone Apartments feature two separate “towers”, connected by an exterior bridge that spans a centrally located courtyard at each floor. This strategically splits the project into two masses and allows natural light to pass through to adjacent sites. The bridges connecting the two towers also serve as a unique architectural feature that enhances the overall aesthetic of the complex. This element creates a visual link between the two sides of the building while also providing a sheltered exterior passage for residents. The bridges, combined with the courtyard further contribute to the development's sense of cohesion and unity, providing a shared space for residents to gather, relax, and enjoy the outdoors. This quiet and often shaded courtyard provides a sheltered place on the site that is not subject to the increasingly hot summer sun and wet Seattle winters. Multiple bioretention planters located at the courtyard level manage onsite stormwater collection from the building roof within the project.

A key design priority for the Madrone Apartments is maintaining privacy in a high-density urban setting. All residential units are thoughtfully oriented away from adjacent buildings, either outward, with windows facing the street, or inward, overlooking the courtyard or to the rear of the adjacent empty lot. This deliberate design strategy ensures that both residents and neighboring properties experience a sense of separation and privacy, which is crucial in densely populated urban areas. The result is a harmonious balance between community engagement and individual seclusion, catering to diverse resident needs.

A straightforward material palette and elegant facade design contributes positively to the neighborhood’s character and increasing modernity and allows for a more timeless presentation that will age cleanly as adjacent areas are developed in the future. An upper level setback was provided voluntarily to the street to reduce the height and overall mass facing the low-rise zoned lots across the street. This recess aligns with a jog in the facade’s massing at the north corner, creating a transition towards the currently underdeveloped property immediately to the north. While the material palette was intentionally kept simple and elegant, quality and texture were prioritized wherever residents or community members were most likely to interact with the project’s facades. The majority of the exterior  materials are integrally colored or prefinished, providing a thoughtful and durable solution. All windows are high performance and feature a projecting prefinished metal trim that adds pattern, depth and texture to all east and west facing facades.

The Madrone Apartments are situated in Seattle's Central Area, a neighborhood rich in history and cultural diversity that has undergone significant transformation over the past decade. Historically, the Central District has been one of Seattle's most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and was once the center of Seattle's black community and a major hub of African-American businesses. However, recent years have seen a wave of development, with numerous multifamily apartments rising to meet the growing demand for urban living. Amidst this rapid urbanization, Madrone Apartments stands out with a thoughtful approach that balances needed housing density at a time when Seattle faces a massing housing shortage, with quality construction and a long-term design intent. By maximizing the unit count within the constraints of two compact infill sites, Madrone not only contributes to the area's ongoing evolution into a bustling urban hub but also creates opportunities for affordability. The project’s design ensures that a high number of units can be accommodated without sacrificing space or comfort, making it possible to offer a mix of living options in a neighborhood where such opportunities are increasingly necessary. This approach aligns with the neighborhood’s history of inclusivity, aiming to provide a diverse range of housing options for its residents. The site’s location has one of Seattle’s highest ratings for walkability and bike transit access, supporting residents who work and recreate at a neighborhood scale. This access further supports the growth and redevelopment of small businesses in the immediate area.

The Madrone Apartments represent a sophisticated approach to urban infill development, skillfully balancing the priorities of sustainability, privacy and density. By optimizing the use of two compact mid-block urban sites, the project sets a new standard for urban living within the existing neighborhood fabric. By adhering to the Passive House standard for design and construction, the Madrone Apartments exemplify a commitment to produce innovative, sustainable, and community-focused design.

Over the past year we have been exploring the history of b9 architects' projects in Seattle, focusing on the strategies we employ in each project to provide meaningful open space, both private and communal. These strategies are often limited by the city's municipal code regarding parking, especially in projects on single urban infill lots compared to those that can be designed over several contiguous lots. Creating meaningful shared and private outdoor open space is an important aspect of b9 architects' design philosophy, reflecting our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for residents while contributing to the overall design of the urban fabric. In response to local codes, our approach varies based on the size and nature of the project, with a keen understanding of how the availability of space impacts design possibilities. 

In single lot projects, b9 architects faces limitations in open space strategies. Often provided in  private amenity spaces or raised courtyards at the project's center, shielded from public view, the spaces are smaller or individual. The challenge lies in optimizing the limited space while adhering to the code requirements, specifically around parking. The presence of alleys significantly improves the design possibilities for open spaces on infill urban lots. Courtyards become more feasible when alleys provide access to required on-site vehicle parking since the parking can remain at the edge of the site. When alleys are absent, open space is in direct competition with vehicle access, turnaround and parking. This circumstance often results in a woonerf strategy for the parking, an area shared by pedestrian and vehicle uses.

In single lot projects without an alley, parking directly impacts ground level open space. Greenwood 5 places a shared parking and pedestrian woonerf at the center of the site.

Urban Canyon placed vehicle parking at the edge of three infill lots to provide landscaped walkways and a courtyard at the center of the site.

As project sites expand to include abutting lots, b9 architects gains more flexibility in creating more thoughtful site planning and larger shared open spaces. The design team leverages the increased size to incorporate diverse strategies. In Urban Canyon for instance, a project consisting of three infill lots on a corner in Seattle’s Central Area,  there was ample space for both a large central courtyard and two shared pedestrian paths that connect to the abutting streets. The project created its own “alley” at the rear of the site to provide access to parking for each unit at the edge of the site. Row 1412, on the other hand divides the courtyard space into private yards for each unit that connects in a larger shared area between all the homes with parking accessed from the street below the units. Our largest project to date designed on 13 adjacent infill lots in Seattle’s Central Area, the un-built First Central Station, exemplifies the community-oriented approach. In the design phase we worked with representatives of multiple Seattle community groups to design a 10,000 square-foot courtyard that would be a privately owned and managed public space [POPS]. Adjacent to the POPS were small private patios that buffered family-sized units at the ground floor, and a large plaza for overflow of the proposed commercial uses. The project planned to provide below grade overflow parking for adjacent commercial uses and Washington Hall, a legacy community performing arts building, and an engaging space for the whole neighborhood that connected to multiple street frontages.

Row 1412 left an existing single-family home, and added a new duplex behind a 5-unit rowhouse. A series of private decks and landscaping provide a buffer between the three structures.

The privately owned public space [POPS] proposed at First Central Station would have provided a 10,000 sq ft. courtyard surrounded by ground floor commercial spaces and ground floor rental units with private patios.

In examining the courtyard strategies of two townhouse projects, Solhaus and Viewhaus, b9 architects was able to adapt to site constraints to create vibrant communal spaces. Solhaus, developed over two lots, features a large central courtyard, leveraging the ample space to foster community interaction. The courtyard is a focal point for the ten units, with several having garage-style roll-up glass doors that facilitate a seamless indoor-outdoor connection, enhancing the living experience. Conversely, Viewhaus, constrained to a single lot, employs a different approach to maintain an open communal space. One of its five units is elevated above ground level, optimizing airflow and light in the shared courtyard below. This strategy not only enhances the quality of the shared space but also demonstrates how thoughtful design can overcome spatial limitations. In both projects, strategic parking solutions are employed to maximize the available open space, reinforcing the importance of parking considerations in urban townhouse developments.

Solhaus used an underground parking solution to provide a large courtyard to encourage community interaction for ten units.

Viewhaus, limited to a single lot, raised a unit off the ground level to reduce the impact of the massing on the courtyard space. Fortunately an alley allowed parking to be placed in the rear of the site.

When space or budget constraints prevent the inclusion of large courtyards, front stoops offer an effective alternative for fostering social interaction and activating the site edges. This approach, common in East Coast streets where rowhouse design is well established, brings neighbors together at the front of their homes, creating opportunities for casual encounters and community building. Our projects Row 1412 and Galer Rowhouses exemplify this strategy, incorporating front stoops along with private outdoor spaces to encourage social interaction. These stoops serve as transitional zones between the public street and the private home, enhancing the streetscape while providing residents with a semi-public space to engage with their community. This approach demonstrates b9 architects' adaptability in using various design elements to achieve communal interaction in different urban contexts.

Due to site topography, and to capture outrageous views, the amenity space at the Galer Rowhouses was limited to roof top decks and front stoops that step down the steep hill.

In addition to the backyard patios pictured earlier, Row 1412 also provides front stoops to the rowhouse units to encourage interaction at the entry.

b9 architects frequently incorporates exterior walkways and stairways in their apartment designs to enhance shared courtyard spaces by encouraging spontaneous and planned interactions. Projects like Courtyard L, Ship Street, and Fremont Portal exemplify this strategy. At Ship Street, a “floating” volume of apartment units creates an exterior covered lobby, adding a dynamic architectural element while fostering a communal atmosphere. The Courtyard L project connects most units directly to the courtyard, providing a shared space for residents that also offers a buffer from the adjacent street. Fremont Portal uses a carved-out central courtyard to increase light and air circulation to all units and adjacent lots, benefiting an adjacent historic library and meeting city requirements for the project’s approved contract rezone. These projects highlight how exterior circulation can transform courtyards into vibrant, shared spaces that enhance the overall living experience.

Courtyard L uses exterior walkways and stairwells to place unit entries into this expansive central courtyard.

The Ship Street apartment floats one unit above the ground level to create an outdoor covered lobby. Exterior stairways and walkways provide passage to individual units.

Aerial of Fremont Portal shows the various levels of open space with three courtyards. The ground floor shared with the commercial use at the street.

Diagram of the massing strategy of Fremont Portal. Creating an open air courtyard creates a relief in the massing to give light to the historic Fremont Library next door. A strategy that secured their support through a contract rezone.

In the current development climate, the feasibility of multiple lot projects is challenged. In order to lessen the impact of Seattle’s Design Review process, thus saving time, fee, and complexity, clients often opt to develop adjacent individual parcels under separate multiple permits rather than bundling them together under one design application. Additionally the Single Family, Accessory Dwelling Unit [ADU], Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit [DADU] cluster has emerged as a viable option in the Neighborhood Residential [NR] zone, where Design Review is not required altogether.

b9 architects' commitment to meaningful open spaces in Seattle's residential projects reflects a nuanced understanding of urban development challenges. While the triple lot projects that once allowed for expansive open spaces are less prevalent, the firm remains at the forefront of innovative design, exploring new strategies to maximize community value in the evolving development landscape. As Seattle continues to grow and change, b9 architects stands poised to contribute to the city's architectural legacy with their thoughtful approach to open space integration in residential projects.

To read more about ADU and DADU’s in Seattle, read our blog here.

Last year, Seattle updated the municipal code to encourage ADU and DADU developments on RSL zoned parcels. This would allow land owners to add two 1,000 sq. ft. or less residential units to their single-family homes.

This project under way at b9 architects retained an existing single-family house and placed two units to the rear. Three residential units were added next door on an adjacent lot.

b9 architects’ is thrilled to showcase the recently completed Greta apartment, a project that exemplifies our commitment to providing excellent design for all of our projects regardless of type and scale. A 33-unit Small Efficiency Dwelling Unit (SEDU) apartment completed earlier this year in Seattle's vibrant University District, Greta sets the stage for a sister project Graceland, currently under construction just next door to the rear. Together, these developments elevate residential density while adhering to a shared commitment to executing the design intent prioritized by a collaborative project team.

b9 architects kicked off both projects in 2018 to ensure they would vest to the then current municipal code. After vesting was secured, the Graceland went on hold while the team spent their focus completing Greta, the smaller project. Greta stands out with its material palette, commercial feeling, street-facing lobby and a thoughtfully designed small courtyard. It is a departure from the conventional design and entry placement in similar buildings nearby. This innovative approach\ welcomes residents into a space that fosters community and engages the street front. 

Greta boasts high-quality materials such as natural finished Minerit and black stained cedar siding, creating a visually striking and high-contrast facade. Recessed balconies add depth and further enhance the aesthetic appeal, showcasing a commitment to elevating the urban living experience. Additionally, the layout of Greta prioritizes natural light and privacy, with nearly all apartments designed as corner units. This intentional configuration not only maximizes access to daylight but also minimizes privacy concerns, creating a comfortable and inviting living environment for residents.

As Greta was wrapping up construction in 2023, the b9 team focused on completing Graceland’s entitlement processes and construction drawings. Phasing the two projects allowed us to learn from the first design and construction process. We saw our client’s commitment in executing the design intent of Greta, and worked to bring our BIM model and documentation to our current standard in preparation for a robust building phase.

A larger, more complex project, the 54-unit Graceland introduces an exterior lobby as part of its entry sequence, engaging residents and visitors in a unique double-height open-framed portal from the street into a central courtyard. This innovative design fosters a sense of connection and community right from the moment of arrival. Distinguishing itself further, Graceland features predominantly exterior circulation. A steel stair directly facing the street and exterior walkways at all floors contribute to the project's dynamic and engaging urban presence. Residents will experience a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living.

Leveraging the advantage of a double lot, Graceland incorporates a central courtyard accessible to all residents and visitors. An indoor amenity "living room" anchors the rear of the courtyard, providing a space to activate the outdoor environment and foster a sense of community. The landscape design for the project was specifically designed to connect the sidewalk to the shared amenity space and exterior stairway with varying pavement materials and a series of small Maple Trees and landscaping to maximize greenery in the courtyard.

We are excited to see these two projects complement each other and add meaningful density to the University District. b9 architects is always interested in creating thoughtfully designed spaces in all of our projects, no matter the size or budget, and we are thrilled to be working with a client interested in the same. Greta and Graceland are proving to be exemplary precedents of this project type in this neighborhood.

Completed in 2023 the 13th Avenue Apartments features one of b9 architects’ cleanest and simplest designs to date. Seeking our help in 2018, the client had already gone through an early design process with another architect, but the design they arrived at could not be realized due to code compliance issues. Through a flexible and collaborative design process, the team created an elegant, 20-unit infill project, mid-block on 13th Avenue in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. With an elegant and organized facade that belies its complicated design, the 13th Avenue Apartment represents excellence that can be achieved with the right client, material selection and detailing.

When the project first came to b9 architects, it looked very different. With another firm’s preliminary Design Review proposal that did not have a path to meeting Seattle’s land use, energy or building codes, our design team worked with the client to propose a new solution. After an initial site investigation, the client agreed to have b9 restart the design process, keeping the idea of two structures, but connecting them with a series of stacked exterior walkways and interior stairwell and elevator. This strategy allowed the “front” structure to act as a centerpiece for the design while the structure in the rear could act as a secondary element. With an engaged client and multiple b9 team members owning specific aspects of the project, the design process focused on collaboration and quick decision making to move the project forward, helping the client make up for lost time.

The project design takes advantage of the “single exit” allowance in the Seattle Building Code. Limited to 4 units per floor and a maximum distance between each unit’s entry and the stair and elevator, the project benefits from providing only one stair. The elevator permits the project to provide a small roof deck for all residents with access to amazing views of downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic Mountains beyond. The circulation spaces are the “connector” described above that tie the front and rear portions of the structure together. From the street, the building reads as two elements due to the circulation being inset from the north and south side facades. The rear facade shifts half of the mass to provide relief for the homes across the alley and to create a variety of unit types within the project.

Due to the dimensions of the site, the modulation at the center of the site creates relief to adjacent sites, similar to many of b9’s infill housing projects.  However, the difference at this site is that the front facade is purposely clear and simple. The Design Review process in Seattle frequently encourages projects to undulate massing to create depth along street frontages. With a site at 35’ wide by 120’ feet deep, we were adamant that the front façade should be flat and create depth and texture primarily with material expression. There is no space for the front facade. Instead of shifting in or out, the 13th Avenue Apartments relies on simple detailing, a brick frame or grid complemented with contrasting infill panels and large windows and doors. As an assembled integral colored material, brick creates texture and depth on the front volume of the project. Limited to two projecting balconies, this is the simplest front facade b9 has designed. When taken as a whole, the project is complex, carving out the center of the site to setback from an adjacent Single Family home to the south and established brick apartment to the north.

Happy New Year! At b9 architects, we have the good fortune of having a large portfolio of completed works. Due to the diligence and expertise of our clients, the majority of the residential projects we’ve designed are completed, a feat not all architecture firms have. In 2022, we examined a couple projects that, due to the economic realities of Seattle, were canceled mid-process. Due to the increasing costs of construction, longer permit entitlement processes, and current incentivisation programs in the municipal code - creating dense, rentable residential units is not always cost effective, especially on small or complicated sites. Here are case studies of two projects that did not move forward.

Midvale Apartment

The Midvale Apartment Building and its surrounding neighborhood were up zoned when the City of Seattle implemented the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) legislation in 2019. Properties facing the main arterial, Stone Way, remained in the Neighborhood Commercial zone but received a height and allowable area increase.  The neighborhood to the west was largely shifted from the exclusive Single Family zone to the more flexible Residential Small Lot zone. Our site, however, and everything on the half block between the two received the intermediate Lowrise Multi-Family designation. 

As a potential transitional space between the more active Commercial Stone Way and the classic Seattle Single Family neighborhood, this site appeared to us as a space designated for small-scale, dense, rental housing. But in implementation, the zoning allowance does not reflect the true cost. A family-sized unit requirement, a one-time MHA fee payment, and construction complications made an apartment building at this site with the height and area restrictions infeasible. 

This Axonometric View of the surrounding blocks of the proposed project on Midvale Avenue North represents the existing zoning and development and in particular, it diagrams the different scales of surrounding residences and buildings between zones

While the MHA implementation unlocked this half block strip for potential multifamily redevelopment, higher density housing came with a family-sized unit requirement. For every 4 proposed units, one 2-bedroom (minimum 850 square feet) or for every two 2-bedroom units a single 3-bedroom unit (minimum 1,050 square feet) must be provided. In addition, any development under MHA (that does not provide affordable housing on site as part of the development) incurs a fee that must be paid to the city of Seattle before a building permit can be issued. The fee is a variable dollar amount per square foot that changes based on location within the City and the extent of the upzone. Alternatively, a project can choose to designate a portion of their units to rent for significantly less than market value for the first 75 years of the project. In our experience, the client almost always chooses the fee due to the complication of renting units through a city managed program and the future potential loss of rental income. At the same time, construction costs due to a lack of staging space on midblock sites, supply chain issues, and other national economic difficulties caused our client to rethink this project and focus elsewhere. The multiple requirements that previously would have made the projected income tight, but feasible, became too constricting as the project became short on projected rental income and desired number of overall units. We believe the zoning intended to create small apartment buildings with family-sized units, providing increased density near a commercial zone while also transitioning towards the more residential blocks of the existing neighborhood. Instead, due to the complexity described above, small townhouse structures and additional single family dwellings are being developed along this same zoning block. This is achieving a greater density than what previously existed, but still is creating single-family living at higher cost to future residents. Following the permitting of the small-scale 13-unit apartment building, our client chose to sell the site, resulting in the creation of a single family unit and a duplex structure.

As much as the City of Seattle needs to solve the lack of affordable housing and needs the addition of more family-sized rental units to the housing market, passing the cost of multiple housing initiatives - when applied at such small infill sites - onto the developer incentivizes the developer to avoid them entirely, where they instead pursue more predictable  projects with a greater financial upside and less risk.

Pictured is the proposed apartment project viewed from Midvale Ave N to the Northeast

An entry sequence was designed to bring residents and guest to the central open space of the site

The central space was designed to feel very open to allow air and light to activate the site and shared apartment spaces and to provide neighboring sites with massing relief

Fir Street

A very small site in Seattle’s Midrise Residential zone, the Fir Street project came to b9 architects as an apartment, proposed to take advantage of the increased capacity allowed under the MHA upzone. 

The site is located on a small peninsula of Midrise zone that is adjacent to the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community and to the south of a small Neighborhood Commercial zone.  This site is visible from adjacent rights-of-way as it is surrounded by two parking lots and a garden owned by the neighboring Japanese Baptist Church to the west and the north, with an alley to the east. A pocket park is located across the street and the immediate context features many large new multifamily apartment structures that are part of the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community.  

This Axonometric View of the surrounding blocks of the proposed project on E Fir Street and Broadway depicts the existing zoning and development and in particular, it diagrams the much larger scales of surrounding residences and buildings as well as the relative small size of the lot occupied by the proposed project.

The originally proposed massing for apartments on E Fir Street

The site dimensions and height allowance result in a vertical structure that helps anchor the pocket park across E Fir Street to the south and respond to the larger surrounding developments.  The proposal addresses this unique circumstance and emerges from a clear design concept. In response, the massing consists of an aggregation of “basalt columns” of various widths and heights.  These columns combine to create a subtle, yet dynamic building mass and landscape concept.  This design concept produces numerous modulations and material changes along all facades of the building.  The termination of the “columns” at different elevations along the facade creates opportunities for balconies, which further activate the facades of the building.

The project’s height is consistent with many of the newer buildings in the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community to the south and west while the footprint is more consistent with the fourplexes, townhouses, and smaller apartment buildings to the east and north. Due to the small lot area, 2,400 square feet, the building would be unlike anything in the neighborhood. An innovative, 6-story apartment building, this Yesler Terrace project, touted by the DJC as an “infill infill project” would have yielded 15 rental units. The project was required to go through the city of Seattle’s Streamlined Design Review process as part of the permitting process.  Through this process, we proposed modifications to reduce the setbacks required in Seattle’s land use code in order to achieve the project goals of an infill apartment on this incredibly unique site. In our experience Design Review can and should allow for flexibility in order to respond to unique sites such as this one.  The design proposal was significantly less area than what is allowed by code. Unfortunately, the Design Review process resulted in a strict application of the land use code, eliminating the necessary area to make the “infill” infill apartment feasible. That, combined with the cost of construction, became untenable and so the project shifted to a less risky townhouse scope.

The proposed massing for the project featuring 15 units provided on site

The current proposal for 3 townhomes on the same site, currently in process

The height and capacity allowance in the Midrise zone, does not have the incentives necessary to take full advantage when the site does not conform to certain characteristics including size, access to utilities such as storm and sewer, and being clear of environmental critical areas like steep slopes or wetlands. While b9 architects, inc. enjoys designing townhouses and seeing their impact on the City, we recognize a need for a variety of housing solutions.

Over the past 20 years, b9 architects has garnered expertise in maximizing Seattle’s sites in smart and well-designed ways. Clients often choose our firm to help them navigate difficult sites, or design innovative projects to compete with larger rental properties down the street. In our experience, these small 10-30 unit infill apartments tend to be the projects most difficult to meet the financial model necessary to build. If the market isn’t completely on board, developers stop completely or change typology.

In 2023, we hope to explore ways to incentivize small and medium multifamily solutions to help our clients and partners better achieve the combined goals of better, denser, and more affordable housing in Seattle’s neighborhoods.  This will include examining the necessary code changes to expand the access to housing opportunities and levels of affordability in the current Neighborhood Residential zones.