A newly introduced bill, SB 6015, sponsored by Sen. Jessica Bateman (D–Olympia), again places the crux of the housing shortage on local development regulations in Growth Management Act planning jurisdictions. The focus of this bill is to provide state-approved “permit-ready” housing plans that do not get reviewed at the local permit counter for code compliance under the building code, energy code, or fire code.

Under the bill, the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), with consultation from the Department of Commerce and the State Building Code Council, will publish permit-ready plans for factory-built housing up to an eightplex. Although the bill states that local jurisdictions have up to 30 days to review draft permit-ready plans and provide comment, once published by L&I, the plans must be approved when included with a permit application. L&I does have the discretion to limit the applicability of a plan to certain geographic areas.

Cities may not review the plan for state code compliance and must approve the permit application on lots that meet the following criteria:

• Are lawfully established units of land within an urban growth area;
• Are zoned to allow residential use;
• Are at least 1,500 square feet;
• Are not covered by slopes averaging more than 15%;
• Are not within an area identified in an inventory or map that is part of the local government's comprehensive plan as:
  • Environmentally sensitive or containing significant natural resources;
  • Open space or scenic areas;
  • A natural hazard area, including floodplains, river greenways, landslide zones, or wildfire risk areas; or
  • o A designated critical area.

SB 6015 also directs L&I to develop model ordinances that local jurisdictions must adopt.

The bill does not allow for local review for stormwater, utilities, tree retention, public safety access, or frontage improvements, to name a few issues. That leads to the question of who bears the liability if there are problems with the submitted plan and cities aren’t allowed to review them. Stock plans will need regular updates whenever there are changes to energy codes, rules, or building codes. Managing these updates requires time and resources, raising questions about who will be responsible for the costs and oversight.

Date to remember

SB 6015 will be heard in the Senate Housing Committee on Wednesday, January 21, at 10:30 am.