Yet, all told, citywide MHA and the MHA programs already in place in six neighborhoods are expected to generate about 6,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years, far short of the city’s stated goal of creating 20,000 units of rent-restricted affordable housing in a decade. There’s also the goal of creating 30,000 units of market-rate housing over that same time frame — an increase in supply that the city hopes will meet the population boom’s rampant demand.

So, while the dust hasn’t even settled on MHA, city leaders contend they have a lot of work to do on housing. And they may not have much time to do it. Four of the nine current council members have already announced they’re not running for re-election in this fall’s election . Three others are running to hold their seats.

The political leanings of the city council could look drastically different next year. In fact, the council will begin the shift sooner than anticipated, following the news this morning that Councilmember Rob Johnson would be leaving his post in April. Depending on how the political winds blow, passing housing policies could be a breeze or an impossible hurdle next year.

“I think the biggest job for YIMBYs and urbanists coming out of MHA is electing a pro-housing majority in the 2019 election,” said Laura Loe of pro density group Share the Cities. “It’s about making sure we not only get people to say they support citywide rezones, but really get people on the record about what they mean.”

Sarajane Siegfriedt was one of MHA’s staunch opponents and part of the coalition that appealed to the city hearing examiner to block the proposal. She told the Seattle Times , “I certainly see this as an issue in the elections. We have an opportunity to elect a council majority that supports neighborhood planning.”

The current council is already thinking beyond MHA. Crosscut spoke to several council members, housing advocates and MHA opponents to get a sense of what the next big housing fight at city hall might look like.

“This week we celebrate and we also plan,” Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda told Crosscut. “[MHA] is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Backyard cottages to the front

One of the obvious next fights will be over the city council’s effort to fuel construction by loosening regulations on building backyard cottages and basement apartments. Known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), such housing is currently legal throughout the city, but only about 1,000 have been built in Seattle since 1995. City officials hope to spur more ADU construction by allowing construction of both a mother-in-law apartment and a backyard cottage on the same property, allowing these units to be larger, and loosening other regulations to make the housing less expensive to build. In turn, the theory goes, those ADUs will help meet demand for housing in the region by offering less-expensive rental options for middle-income residents.

“It’s emblematic of this sea change of opening up the city to allow for more small-scale development on each lot,” said Matt Hutchins of the pro-ADU group MOAR Seattle .