Joshua McNichols
Growth and Development Reporter
About
Joshua's "growing pains" beat sits at the nexus of housing, transportation, urban planning, and the economy. His favorite stories also include themes of history, technology and climate change.
Joshua holds a BA in Architecture from the University of Washington. Public Radio is his second career; architecture was his first. He is proud of the many odd jobs he's held in his life, such as salmon fisher, author, bike courier and bed-and-breakfast cook.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him
Professional Affiliations: The Society of Professional Journalists, Western Washington Chapter
Podcasts
Stories
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What’s at the root of a growing rift between an iconic Woodinville garden shop and the downtown developer?
The situation in Woodinville has gotten messier than a vegetable garden after a bunch of rabbits moved in, and now, the city council and mayor are stepping in to try to bring both all parties back to the table.
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New homes in Washington state will have to include energy efficient heating and cooling
In Washington state, new buildings could soon become a lot more energy efficient. This week, the Washington State Building Code Council voted to require heat pumps in new homes, by raising efficiency standards so that only heat pumps can satisfy them. To withstand legal threats, the group chose a path that discourages gas appliances without outlawing them.
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What's behind Downtown Seattle's slow pandemic recovery?
Downtown Seattle is struggling to return to pre-pandemic form.
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Seattle's Black-owned businesses invite shoppers to share the love on Black Black Friday
This Black Friday, when lots of people spend money shopping for the holidays, Black-owned businesses in the Seattle area are asking shoppers to share the love as part of Black Black Friday.
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King tides are coming. Is Seattle's South Park neighborhood ready?
Tuesday Nov. 28 is the first king tide of the season.In South Park, business owners, residents and the government are hoping to avoid a repeat of last season's catastrophic flooding.
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'Good bones' from old homes help build Seattle's future
When homes are demolished, that wood usually ends up in the dump. But now, an investment by the Environmental Protection Agency aims to get that old wood into new Seattle houses.
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Seattle light rail is about to get heavy for those who don't pay the fare
If you ride light rail in the Seattle metro area this holiday season, be sure to bring your ORCA card, and tap the card as you enter the station. Starting Wednesday, Sound Transit is ratcheting up its fare enforcement policy, and issuing citations for the first time in two years. It’s a big change.
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Mayor Harrell declares victory for Seattle's new housing levy
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and other leaders are declaring victory for the city's affordable housing levy after initial ballot counts show it leading with voter approval.
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How one Redmond ZIP code built its way to housing abundance
Out of all the ZIP codes in Washington state, downtown Redmond’s has built the most new apartments, according to a new study. In the whole nation, Redmond comes in 10th place for new housing, behind ZIP codes in D.C., New York, and Texas.
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Could a streetcar be the key to reviving downtown Seattle's arts and entertainment scene?
Downtown Seattle has the Seattle Art Museum, the Paramount, the symphony, and some other theaters and galleries. But it hasn’t been the center of Seattle’s arts scene for a long time. Now, with downtown struggling economically, Mayor Bruce Harrell has been talking about a new arts and entertainment district downtown. He says he wants to put a streetcar right down the middle of it. The city has even branded the proposed streetcar line as the “Culture Connector.” So, you can’t talk about the streetcar now without thinking about the arts. This raises a question: What do streetcars have to do with art? More than you’d think.