OLYMPIA — Washington faces an unprecedented housing shortage that’s impacting residents and families in every corner of the state. Today, the Washington House of Representatives passed House Bill 1110, introduced by State Rep. Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia), to expand the state’s housing supply by legalizing modest middle housing options.
“We’re between 140,000-250,000 homes short of what Washington families need right now, and we’ll need to build a million more over the next 20 years,” said Bateman. “When first-time homebuyers can only afford a home in three of our counties, it’s clear that the status quo isn’t working. We need to make it easier to build diverse housing options statewide to meet our state’s growing needs and provide more affordable options.”
HB 1110 increases the middle housing supply by allowing more diverse housing options like duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, or cottage housing in residential neighborhoods based on certain criteria:
Cities with population 25,000-75,000
- Two units per lot could be built anywhere.
- Four units per lot could be built with ½ mile of a transit stop.
- Four units per lot could be built if one unit is affordable.
Cities with population 75,000+ or within the contiguous urban growth area (UGA) of the largest city in a county with a population of more than 275,000
- Four units per lot could be built anywhere.
- Six units per lot within ¼ mile of a transit stop.
- Six units per lot if two units are affordable.
Cities may continue or create affordability programs that go beyond the requirements of the bill, and may impose limits on residential lots of 2,000 square feet or fewer created through a lot split.
Under the bill, development and permitting review for middle housing options cannot be more restrictive than for single-family homes; though, regulations related to tree canopy, set-backs, environmental review, master shoreline programs, and others would still apply. The bill also makes changes to parking requirements based on lot size and proximity to major transit.
“Families across our state are counting on us to address this urgent crisis by creating more homes for Washington,” said Bateman. “This is just one crucial piece of the solution.”
While the bill, as amended, includes alternative options for compliance, cities that adopt the provisions outlined above will be exempt from Growth Management Act (GMA) hearing board appeals for the housing elements and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) challenges to implement development regulations.
The bill passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 75 to 21. It now moves to the Senate for further consideration. Bateman’s floor remarks can be viewed here.
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