The gap
~7×
2025 median home price relative to median household income.
Our why · Homeownership, built to last
Homes Greater Seattle families can actually buy.
Clear Urban Development creates affordable homes for purchase, built efficiently without compromising quality, so more low-, moderate-, and middle-income households can own a home and keep it.
Our mission
More households able to own a home and keep it.
Clear Urban Development creates affordable homes for purchase in Greater Seattle, built efficiently without compromising quality, so more low-, moderate-, and middle-income households can achieve and sustain homeownership.
Our development focus is Greater Seattle. Our broader consulting work serves property owners across the Pacific Northwest, with emphasis on King County and other regions adopting higher-density policies.
The need
The path to ownership has moved out of reach for too many working households.
This region needs more homes overall, and especially more homes for purchase that middle-income households can afford. Home prices have outpaced household incomes, while townhomes and small multiplexes remain a small share of the ownership housing stock.
King County median household income~$122K
Income needed for median-priced home*~$214K
*Clear Urban estimate: 20% down, approximately 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, taxes and insurance, and housing costs at or below 30% of gross income. Home prices, rates and buyer circumstances vary.
The missing middle
~11%
Of King County ownership housing is townhomes and small multiplexes combined.
The scale of need
246,963 homes
Still needed in King County over the next 20 years, according to the 2025 Countywide Housing Needs Assessment.
Sources: NWMLS 2025 sales data; U.S. Census ACS 2019–2023; PSRC housing stock analysis; King County 2025 Countywide Housing Needs Assessment. Figures are rounded. The income-needed estimate is a Clear Urban calculation, not a loan qualification or price guarantee. View source links and assumptions below.
A note from Larry
Why I started Clear Urban.
I’ve spent over 30 years in affordable-housing development and finance, focused on increasing access to and the sustainability of homeownership for low-, moderate-, and middle-income households. I studied Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State University’s College of Design and later earned an MPA in Organizational Development and Public Policy. As an Amazon Housing Equity Accelerator Fellow, I continue to learn alongside others working to expand housing opportunity. I’ve seen what owning a home can mean for a family: stability, a place in a community, and a way to build wealth over generations. I’ve also watched that opportunity move further out of reach for working households across Greater Seattle.
The math is not working for too many people. A typical King County household earns about $122,000 a year. Under standard assumptions, buying the county’s median-priced home takes roughly $214,000 in annual household income. That gap shuts out teachers, nurses, tradespeople, first responders, and young families: people who keep this region running.
I started Clear Urban Development to help close that gap where we can. We create homes for purchase, including townhomes, small plexes, and ADUs, and we work to deliver them efficiently without cutting corners on quality. Washington’s HB 1110 and local density rules can allow more homes on some lots. We help property owners understand what that means for their land, because more homes for purchase depend on more land being put to work.
We won’t overpromise. Every project depends on its site, costs, and market. Our aim stays the same: more homes people can own, built to last.
Larry Gilmore · Founder & CEO
Our strategy
Three levers to put more quality homes within reach.
More housing capacity matters, but rules alone don’t create homes people can buy. Our strategy combines mission-driven development, disciplined delivery, and policies that make more homes possible.
01 · LEAD WITH MISSION
Be the developer the market is missing.
Clear Urban develops homes for purchase, including townhomes, small plexes, and ADUs designed for ownership. When we partner with a property owner or acquire land, the goal is the same: more homes people can buy.
02 · BUILD EFFICIENTLY
Control cost without cutting quality.
We focus on thoughtful small-lot design, repeatable plans where they fit, and coordination with our Builder Partner to support cost control and consistent construction quality. We’re also exploring modular and other methods that may reduce costs while protecting durability.
Funding for qualified projects may be available through our affiliate, ClearBlu Capital Group ↗. Funding is subject to underwriting, qualification, and approval.
03 · PUT DENSITY TO WORK
Turn new rules into real homes.
Washington’s HB 1110 and local implementation can allow more middle housing in places that once permitted only detached homes. A rule change by itself doesn’t create a home. Good design, disciplined costs, and willing landowners help turn that capacity into homes for purchase.
Explore HB 1110 by cityOur vision
A Greater Seattle where low-, moderate-, and middle-income households can buy a quality home in the communities where they work, and where enough well-built homes for purchase exist to keep that possible for the next generation.
Our values
How we work toward the mission.
Homeownership first
We measure our work by whether more households can buy a home and keep it.
Quality without waste
Efficiency comes from smart design, repeatable plans, and strong partnerships, never cutting corners.
Honesty
We’re clear about what a site, price, or project can and cannot do. We set goals, not guarantees.
Sustainable ownership
Homes should be durable and sensible to maintain so ownership can last.
Community-minded growth
More homes belong in neighborhoods connected to jobs, transit, and services.
Partnership over pressure
Property owners choose their own path, and we respect it.
More homes for purchase start with the right land.
Own property in Greater Seattle?
Start with a free Lot Snapshot. We’ll look at what your lot could become and talk it through, with no pressure to build.
Sources, assumptions, and important information
Data sources
Assumptions and disclaimer
The ~$214,000 household income-needed figure is Clear Urban’s estimate using a 20% down payment, an approximately 6.6% 30-year fixed mortgage rate, estimated taxes and insurance, and housing costs at or below 30% of gross income. The ~$122,000 household income figure refers to Census ACS 2019–2023 median household income. The ~$188,500 income at 120% of AMI and other detailed statistics are not used here. Figures are rounded; rates and prices change.
Home prices, availability, and eligibility vary by project. Early assessments and estimates are preliminary and not guaranteed. This page is general information, not financial, legal, tax, architectural, engineering, or permitting advice. Funding for qualified projects through ClearBlu Capital Group is subject to underwriting, qualification, and approval; ClearBlu provides funding only. All consulting and development guidance comes from Clear Urban Development.