This is why we can’t have nice things. Weaponizing environmental law to prevent a grocery store in an already existing building is the epitome of NIMBYism & demonstrates the flaws in our legal system.
If you want to call in, you've gotta sign up for the morning session, starting at 8:30am. The 3pm session is reserved for in-person comment.
www.seattle.gov/council/meet...
King County housing levy could be on deck...
Happy to see the Mayor of Washington’s largest city embracing pro-housing strategies! It’s about time.👏👏👏
We are on the last day of our Spring Member Drive, and we just want to say thank you to everyone who’s already stepped up to support The Urbanist—your support is what allows us to grow our team and expand our reporting.
If you’ve been meaning to give, now’s the time to become a member:
Hooray for housing! @governorferguson.bsky.social signed HB 2266, HB 6026, and HB 1345 (among others!) into law today 🎉🏠
Let's hear it for more critical housing types everywhere!! #waleg
Brief Summary of Bill (As Amended by Senate) Specifies that a determination of completeness made by a county or city on a project permit application must be based on whether the permit is procedurally complete and is not a substantive review of the application. • Requires certain government entities, other than counties and cities, to complete the review of a residential project permit application within certain deadlines, and provides that, if the deadline is missed, the government entity must refund 20 percent of the permit review fee. • Requires local governments to designate a permit-responsible official with authority to make final administrative decisions on residential project permit applications, and to designate a single point-of-contact on each project permit application.
Not much attention this year on HB 2418, but @davina425.bsky.social seems to have a quiet yet powerful housing bill every session and this one was sent to the Governor's desk tonight.
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
Yesterday, Oregon's legislature voted to ban underfunded inclusionary zoning from the Portland metro area.
It's a big turnaround, and I hope a path forward for other states too.
www.sightline.org/2026/03/05/o...
Meeting Dates: • March 19, 2026, 2 p.m. • April 6, 2026 - Public Hearing, 9:30 a.m. • May 29, 2026 - Public Hearing, 9:30 a.m. • June 4, 2026, 1 p.m. • June 18, 2026, 1 p.m.
Mean girls image meme for "GET IN LOSER" GET IN SEATTLE OPCD WE'RE BUILDING SOCIAL HOUSING IN ALL NEIGHBORHOODS
We need to start blowing up council inboxes & public comment, to fix the @seattleopcd.bsky.social plan that only allows social & affordable housing on loud, polluted, & dangerous roads. Mark your calendars, put in your PTO 😭, & bring your friends. ALL HANDS ON DECK for Alternative 5 Corridors.
By a 41-7 vote, the Washington Senate just directed the state's building code council to adopt updated regulations for elevators in buildings with up to six stories or 24 units, "minimally sized to meet federal accessibility requirements."
The final version:
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
Housing research friends, are you excited to study how state pro-housing policies are working? The Infrastructure team @arnoldventures.bsky.social just launched an RFP for Measurement & Evaluation of State & Local Housing Supply Reforms. Details:
www.arnoldventures.org/infrastructu...
Missoula, Montana has just:
- Eliminated single family zoning
- Eliminated parking requirements citywide
- Allows 100-125' of height in many of its mixed-use zones with no limits on density or FAR
Why is Missoula so much more progressive than Los Angeles?
Update: Today is the Policy Committee cutoff date. So bills that do not advance out of their policy committee by the time those committees end today are dead for the year. Also any hearings on bills today are really just "courtesy" hearings, meaning those bills will be heard but not moved #waleg
Bellevue is planning an “omnibus” series of zoning code amendments all in one package, including eight changes that move the city into compliance with state law.
Turns out, you don’t need to do a ton of process to enact state-required zoning changes!
Bothell ascendant.
After the Washington House's local government committee unanimously approved a bill legalizing scissor stairs last week, the Senate's housing committee just unanimously approved the companion bill.
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?...
They need to hear from folks in the next 24 hours.
Sharon.shewmake@leg.wa.gov
Victoria.hunt@leg.wa.gov
Matt.boehnke@leg.wa.gov
If you have concerns about how this bill would significantly impede progress on housing in WA please email the Chair, Vice Chair and Ranking member.
Short session comes at you fast!
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
We are just now seeing an uptick in middle housing permits. This bill effectively guts the SEPA exemption and adds another layer of review without the resources or infrastructure to support it.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
Housing advocates! A bill that was heard in the Senate Environment Committee yesterday would require a project level cultural resources review for all infill housing built in WA.
If it’s a legislative issue pertinent to this session, an email/letter will suffice. If it’s after session a phone call or letter is good.
First iteration of the Housing Accountability Act. ✅
Kasey is amazing! I’m so glad you had a good visit.
My door is always open. I consult with my ranking member who is an R and we try to get a mix of perspectives. We can always improve.
Good news for neighborhood cafes!
That said, it has provisions allowing cities to regulate parking, signage, hours of operation, and square footage, which could be misused by oppositional-defiant jurisdictions.
I’d also like to see the bill include explicit reference to last year’s parking reform.
Tomorrow at 8:00, there will be a public hearing in #waleg Senate Law & Justice on #SB5855, a bill that would ban the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers.
You can sign in "pro" or sign up to testify here:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate?s...
#SB6015: Requiring the state to create permit-ready plan sets for factory-built middle housing and ADUs, and requiring cities to allow them to be built.
Read it: app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
