Signed by Governor Jay Inslee

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass with amendment a bill that increases the residential building capacity allowances to provide for more housing in urban areas.

Highlights:

• Authorizes city planning to take the following actions for increasing its residential building capacity (Sec. 1):

• Authorize development in one or more areas of no less than 500 acres that has at least one train station served by commuter rail or light rail with an average of no less than 50 residential units per acre that require no more than an average of one on-site parking space for every 2 bedrooms in the portions of multifamily zones within the area;

• Authorize development in areas of no less than 500 acres in cities with a population larger than 40,000 or no less than 250 acres in cities with a population smaller than 40,000, that include at least one bus stop served by a service of no less than 4 times per hour for 12 or more hours per day with an average of no less than 25 residential units per acre that need an average of one on-site parking for every 2 bedrooms in portions of the multifamily zones within the areas;

• Authorize a duplex, triplex, or courtyard apartment on each parcel in zoning districts that allow single-family residences, unless a city documents a specific infrastructure of physical constraint;

• Authorize cluster zoning or lot size averaging in all zoning districts that allow single-family residences;

• Authorize attached accessory dwelling units on all parcels that have single-family homes where the lot is no less than 3,200 square feet in size, and allow both attached and detached accessory dwelling units on all parcels that have single-family homes, if the lots are at least 4,300 fifty-six square feet;

• Adopt a subarea plan;

• Adopt a planned action, with the exception of an environmental impact statement that is not required to take this action;

• Increase categorical exemptions for residential or mixed-use development;

• Establish a form-based code in a zoning district that allows residential uses;

• Authorize a duplex on each corner lot within all zoning districts that allow single-family residences; 

• Permit the division or redivision of land into the maximum number of lots through the short subdivision process; and

• Authorize a minimum net density of 6 dwelling units per acre in all residential zones, where the residential development capacity will increase in the city.

• Establishes the goal of city planning within this act as the encouragement of the construction of additional affordable and market rate housing in a greater variety of housing types and at prices accessible to a greater variety of incomes, including strategies aimed at the for-profit single-family home market (Sec. 1).

• Establishes eligibility for planning grant assistance of up to $100,000 for cities with a population of over 20,000 that plan to take at least 2 actions under subsection (1), as long as the action is taken before April 1, 2021 (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that a city can request more than 100,000 dollars for applications that show extraordinary potential to increase housing supply or regulatory streamlining (Sec. 1).

• Defines “affordable housing” as, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, residential housing whose monthly costs, including utilities other than telephone, do not exceed 30 percent of the monthly income of a household whose income is (Sec. 2):

• For rental housing, sixty percent of the median household income adjusted for household size, for the county where the household is located, as reported by the United States department of housing and urban development; or

• For owner-occupied housing, 80 percent of the median household income adjusted for household size, for the county where the household is located, as reported by the United States department of housing and urban development.

• Establishes that in counties and cities planning, minimum residential parking requirements required by municipal zoning ordinances for housing units built after July 1, 2019, are subject to the following requirements (Sec. 5):

• Minimum residential parking requirements will not be greater than one parking space for every bedroom or .75 space per unit for housing units ranging from affordable to very low-income or extremely low-income individuals, and are located within one-quarter mile of a transit stop that receives transit service at least 4 times every hour for 12 or more hours every day; and

• A city is prohibited from imposing minimum residential parking requirements for the residents of housing units that are specifically for seniors or people with disabilities, and are located within one-quarter mile of a transit stop that receives transit service at least 4 times every hour for 12 or more hours every day.

• Authorizes cities with a population larger than 5,000 to adopt optional elements of their comprehensive plans and optional development regulations that apply within specified subareas of the cities, as long as they are in accordance with their existing comprehensive planning and development regulation authority (Sec. 7).

• Authorizes appropriations from the growth management planning and environmental review fund to help finance various sections of this bill (Sec. 8).

• Prohibits a city and a code city from outlawing permanent supportive housing in areas where multifamily housing is allowed (Sec. 9 & 10).

• Specifies that a surcharge of $2.50 will be charged by the county auditor for each recorded document except specified cases, which will in turn be remitted to fund various sections of this bill (Sec. 11). 

• Establishes that this act will take effect July 1, 2019 (Sec. 12).

Full Bill Text