Apr
5

SB 5613: Clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures for residential development.

HB 5613: Development of clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures for residential development to prevent sloppy standards from enabling frivolous legal challenges and fight back against unreasonable permit denials.

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Mar
19

HB 1217 Improving housing stability

HB 1217 Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement.

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Mar
17

SB 5156 Elevator code reform

SB 5156: A small elevator is better than no elevator. For buildings in which elevators are not required—like a small apartment building—an elevator can be smaller than gigantic ones normally required. Small elevators are common in other countries, and they improve accessibility for residents, including the growing population of older adults in the US. 

Stephen Jacob Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Building in North America, discussed the issue expertly on the Missing Middle podcast last summer, and wrote a guest essay for the New York Times about it. 

Learn more:

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Mar
14

SB 5184 Parking mandates

SB 5184, to free Washington communities from parking mandates—and the excess cost, red tape, asphalt, and pollution they bring with them—has a hearing in the House Committee on Local Government at 10:30 AM. Sign in pro, submit written testimony, or register to testify in person or remotely. 

Read more about it here.

Learn more:

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Feb
7

SB 5613: Clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures for residential development.

HB 5613: Development of clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures for residential development to prevent sloppy standards from enabling frivolous legal challenges and fight back against unreasonable permit denials.

View Event →
Jan
24

SB 5184 Parking mandates

SB 5184: The bill would cap how many parking spots local governments can require for new homes and commercial buildings, and give full parking flexibility to a set of building types that need it the most.

Read more about it here.

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Jan
17

SB 5156 Elevator code reform

SB 5156: A small elevator is better than no elevator. For buildings in which elevators are not required—like a small apartment building—an elevator can be smaller than gigantic ones normally required. Small elevators are common in other countries, and they improve accessibility for residents, including the growing population of older adults in the US. 

Stephen Jacob Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Building in North America, discussed the issue expertly on the Missing Middle podcast last summer, and wrote a guest essay for the New York Times about it. 

View Event →
Jan
13

HB 1096 Lot splitting

HB 1096 (WA's lot split bill) would create an administrative process to make it easy for typical homeowners to split their lots. Lot splitting is a key to community infill that offers anti-displacement “mortgage helpers” to homeowners and creates affordable smaller-lot starter homes.

Read a write-up of legalizing lot splitting here.

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