Unique in a sea of housing proposals that have been worked and refined over the last several years is a concept from Rep. Davina Duerr (D–Bothell) with some intriguing new ideas. HB 1167 contains a bit of a grab bag of policies and programs to facilitate housing development and address various regulatory arenas—including several concepts that match the proposal of the AWC Housing Solutions Group.

The proposal:

• Creates a new grant program to provide financial assistance to cities to help them adopt pre-approved middle housing architectural plans. Those plans, when submitted, may only be reviewed administratively.
• Directs the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) to convene a workgroup to recommend additions or amendments to apply the International Code Council residential code to “multiplexes” (defined as buildings with up to six units consolidated into a single structure with common floors and walls, or a building up to three stories with up to six units in a single structure). The workgroup is directed to report to the SBCC in time for them to take action to adopt recommendations by December 1, 2024.
• Creates new SEPA exemptions for governmental actions related to residential development within ¼ mile of “community core locations.” These are defined as high capacity and bus rapid transit, stops designated as “major transit stops” by a regional planning agency, near public and private schools, and public parks owned by state or local governments.

Finally, the bill restricts a variety of regulatory authority, including that a city:

• May not impose zoning, development, siting, parking, design review, or other standards for multiplex housing that are more restrictive than those for detached single family residences, except when necessary for fire and life safety. 
• Must apply the same permit and environmental review processes to multiplexes as detached homes.
• May not mandate setbacks for residential buildings or prohibit building to the property line in areas within ¼ mile of community core locations, with the exception that buildings may be required to adhere to fire codes.
• With a municipal water supply and a professional fire department may not require more than a single stairway in residential buildings of six or fewer stories.

Please share any feedback with Carl Schroeder and Shannon McClelland.

Dates to remember

HB 1167 will be heard on Thursday, January 19 at 8 am in the House Housing Committee.