OLYMPIA – This weekend, after a long legislative session Gov. Inslee signed House Bill 1223, sponsored by Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, that will increase affordable housing near transit in King County.
“For too many hard-working Moms and Dads in King County, the American Dream is out of reach,” said Springer. “Thousands of families have simply been priced out of the market and are forced to live hours from their work. This bill will help more Washingtonians find safe, affordable places to live.”
HB 1223 gives King County the authority to use hotel & motel taxes to raise bond revenues five years earlier than current law allows. The authority allows the county to double the amount it can invest in workforce housing now, before prices rise even more than they already have. King County can build at today’s cost saving the county $62 million.
“The lack of affordable housing in King County has pushed many working-class families farther from their jobs,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Thanks to Rep. Larry Springer’s leadership, more people in our community will live closer to transit – saving them time and money.”
Kelly Rider, Policy Director for the Housing Development Consortium Seattle-King County said, “Families across King County are forced to move farther away from their jobs to find affordable housing. Workers deserve to have a home that doesn’t force them into long, expensive and polluting commutes. Because of HB 1223, 900 King County households will have the opportunity to live affordably near transit.”