Affordable housing continues to get a lot of attention

With the comprehensive plan deadline closing in for King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties, the Legislature was mostly responsive to cities’ request not to add new planning responsibilities without the time for thoughtful inclusion into the updated plans.

That dynamic was particularly prominent within the transit-oriented development bill—where the primary provisions would have only applied in three cities until 2029. Some more limited proposals, such as authorizing smaller apartments with shared facilities (AKA co-housing), did pass; but for the most part, it was a relatively quiet year on the housing land use front.

There were, however, many conversations about incentives and revenues to support certain types of affordable housing developments. The incentive approaches fared better than revenue, with the passage of the following: incentives to convert existing commercial buildings to affordable housing, changes to the building code applications to smaller multifamily projects aimed at facilitating condominium development; the creation, but not funding, of a workforce housing incentive program; and flexibility within HB 1406 funds to support homeownership.

Regrettably, for the second year running, both an increase in real estate taxes and a new short-term rental tax did not advance. Unfortunately, without dedicated resources to support this housing, cities will not see this housing being built—despite the requirement that we plan for and accommodate the 500,000 units of deeply affordable housing that the state is lacking. These issues will continue to return until the Legislature and Governor are able to summon the leadership to get sufficient revenue authority over the finish line.