We have been updating cities on the progress of the Governor requested SB 5466 which would mandate upzones around significant transit assets.
AWC supports the goals and intents of this bill. Maximizing both density—and affordability—around rapid transit is a pillar of the proposal put
forward by the AWC Housing Solutions Group. SB 5466 has several elements that are more challenging, however, especially the scope of impact and restrictions of authority to provide for parking.
On the question of scope, we know individual cities have been doing evaluations. However, that has been difficult because of the convoluted construction and definitions of the bill. Last week, the Puget Sound Regional Council released the first authoritative
map of where the bill would apply within King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties and their cities. There are still no such definitive regional maps in the other parts of the state affected by this bill.
Frankly, when viewed at the regional scale, it becomes clear that the bill would require cities to authorize very tall buildings in most of the residential land in the population centers of Western Washington. For example, below is a snapshot centered
around King County. In all areas within the grey shading, the bill requires a floor area ratio (FAR) of 4.0-6.0 depending on precise proximity to what type of transit asset.
The examples below from downtown Bellevue really illustrate the scope of what would be required to be authorized by the bill. The buildings below have FAR’s in the 4.0-6.0 range. This shows what the standard looks like on the ground, and especially
the heights that become authorized if any portion of the lot needs to be reserved for things like open space, trees, stormwater retention, or other standard building requirements and amenities.
The residential project closest to the camera is about 2.4 FAR. The 20-story residential project in the background is about 4.2 FAR.
These three office towers (16, 17 and 17 stories in height) are just over 5.0 FAR.
A final example from the City of Shoreline shows a building that is closer to a lot line-to-lot line approach to hitting a 4.0 FAR:
If you have concerns with this scope and impact, please contact your House members and share your perspectives. You can also ask them to talk to their colleagues on the House Housing Committee to express your positions.
The bill has had a public hearing, but executive session was delayed to take consideration of the concerns that were raised at the hearing. We expect the bill will be amended as it moves forward. Our core areas of focus are on the geographic scope,
FAR level, parking restrictions, and the need for additional affordability and anti-displacement provisions.