Two bills that affect planning departments are amended as they advance in the Legislature—one that negatively impacts a bill AWC supported.
Project permit reform
SB 5964 from Sen. Mark Mullet (D–Issaquah) has moved another step in the process. The House
Local Government Committee made slight amendments, but the bill is still largely in place. The proposal creates two grant programs—one to help convert local governments to digital permitting platforms, and the other to provide resources to increase
permit processing timelines. It also includes a provision exempting many interior alterations that do not change the exterior footprint of the building from site plan review, but does not prevent a city from using other means to determine compliance.
UGA land swap
SB 5593, unfortunately, had a problematic amendment hung in the House Local Government Committee.
The underlying bill deals with creating a process for swapping land in and out of Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) to facilitate cities to grow most effectively. Unfortunately, the committee added an amendment requiring that cities must have authorized ADUs
and missing middle housing types in certain areas of the city before utilizing this tool. AWC opposes this unnecessary connection and the bill if it remains included.