OLYMPIA – Washington is in a housing crisis. A key factor in this problem is a widespread lack of housing supply. Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, is continuing her efforts to use existing spaces for housing development.
“We must continue to find avenues to increase housing supply,” said Walen. “Using existing spaces makes a lot of sense.”
In previous sessions, the legislature has enacted rules to allow the conversion of existing commercial properties for housing. Those rules only applied to conversions in commercial and mixed-use zones. House Bill 1757 extends these allowances to commercial buildings in primarily residential zones.
“Extending these allowances to residential areas means we will build more walkable, livable neighborhoods,” continued Walen. “I am proud to have worked on generating more housing supply over the last few years and will continue to look for innovative ideas to address our housing supply challenges.”
House Bill 1757 cleared the House of Representatives with a vote of 95-2 and heads to the Senate for consideration.