Washington lawmakers are looking forward to making laws that assist in the building of more housing in the next decade. This could essentially mean stopping the construction of any more single-family zoning in the future, in cities like Seattle.

The Law

The Housing Bill 1110 essentially dictates that more residents (almost 6000) will be allowed to build quadplex housing in residential blocks and sixplexes near all major transportation hubs.

How It Effects

As per the state department, approximately 1 million new accommodations would be required by 2044 to keep up with the Washington state population growth. To reach this goal, the state might have to dismantle local zoning rules that ban the construction of dense housing in many neighborhoods, especially in cities like Seattle.

Deep Analysis

At present, the majority of the residential areas in Seattle do not allow quadplex or sixplexes housing. They just allow single-family homes with an additional allowance for backyard construction and mother-in-law apartments. State Representative Jessica Bateman said in a recent hearing that house building should be made easier if the goal is to be achieved in the future. She further added that the absence of housing choices that lie between apartment buildings and single-family homes, which are typically known as "missing middle" units, is a contributing factor to the escalating property prices and the inaccessibility of home ownership for many.

State Of Play

Cities in the state of Washington are not opposing this bill or the drive to add more housing in dense zones as well as near transportation hubs. This is a change from their stance over the years which makes the chances of the policy change even more. 

According to Carl Schroeder, who is a lobbyist representing the Association of Washington Cities, the most recent proposal focuses on promoting the construction of affordable housing units rather than just market-rate housing. Moreover, under the new law; not only additional accommodation will be built near transportation hubs but builders will be favored for making the same multiple-home accommodation in other zones as well as creating affordable housing on the way for low-income families.

The Catch

The city still doesn't like this blanket approval, if it gets passed. Mr. Schroeder says that similar rules should be drawn for all cities alike. There should not be a difference in implementing the policy in Seattle and Othello, as an example. It is still not clear whether Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will have the same issues about the bill he raised last year or not. However, he hasn’t commented as of last month nor has Council member Dan Strauss, who chairs the city council's land use committee.

Final Wait

The bill is expected to pass out of committee — but it still must win approval from both chambers of the Legislature to become law which is what all builders, homeowners, contractors, and subcontractors are waiting for.

Zoning laws and housing bills can be difficult to decipher and therefore expert help and opinion are required. TOV Restoration is an excellent place to start if you don’t know where the starting line is in this scenario.