WA State to Eliminate SF zoning?

Question

According to a recent article by Axios, WA lawmakers are considering eliminating Single-Family (SF) zoning in certain cities, like Seattle. Under the proposed bill (HB 1110-2023-24), quadplexes and sixplexes could be permitted by-right in many residential districts across WA. Under the new measure, certain cities would be required to allow sixplexes in many residential zones if a developer commits 2-units to be affordable units; otherwise, only fourplexes would have to be allowed in that area.

I just thought I would share with the BP community, and I would be interested to hear your thoughts!

I just thought I would share with the BP community, and I would be interested to hear your thoughts!

Carlos Ptriawan · Answer

The democratic-led city in the US going to be similar to Shanghai,Seoul, Bangkok and Jakarta within a decade. This is obviously fun to watch but the trend is soooooo predictable. I bet in 2032 the gov. would come with other funky initiatives to make more affordable housing and rent lol

Carlos Ptriawan · Answer

Just want to say in many Asia countries we have had this "bill" since 99 years ago (basically there's no such thing as regulation) and people still can't afford to buy house. The gov can tell this is one way to make houses more affordable but I would just smile LOL

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

I wonder how that works in practice IE water systems capacity sewer capacity and storm sewer .. not to mention power needs. I am sure there are plenty of areas where the utls are upsized to allow this but plenty where it will be the limiting factor on density.  Just a thought.

Hannah B. · Answer

Ahhhh ... local fiefdoms, aren't they great?

You bring up great points, Bill. In CA, the local municipalities were up in arms about a similar bill that passed, CA SB-9 (that's putting it lightly). SB-9 does require compliance with local zoning regulations, but there is a relief valve. This is where I see a good land use lawyer or land planner getting creative ....

"Homeowners must comply with local zoning requirements when developing a duplex (height, floor area ratios, lot coverage etc.) as long as they do not physically preclude a lot split or duplex."

But compliance with building codes is, of course, still required. It should be interesting to see how this all plays out. As you said, local jurisdictions can get very creative.

Hannah B. · Answer

That is a valid point, Jay, certainly. It will be interesting to see how regulations like this play out in practice.

CA Senate Bill 9, a state law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, allows property owners to build duplexes and, in some cases, fourplexes on most single-family parcels across CA. From what I understand, the state hasn’t seen this trigger as many two-unit and four-unit developments as they were forecasting, so perhaps some of the practical issues you outlined above are proving to be an impediment.

With time, there will be more data to analyze the real-world results (or lack thereof) from such policy changes. I’ve only recently started tracking these measures. But I'm super interested in this trend ...

Marcela Hoag · Answer

Ha, my husband used to live in Bangkok. Plenty of blackouts seem likely if we go in that direction.

Bill B. · Answer

I see the local government who don’t want it working overtime on ways to thwart your plans. Let’s see…

1) every unit on any new build must have its own water/sewer. Each water/sewer connection pays an environmental fee of $20,000.

2) every unit on any new build must have at least 1 garage

3) every new build over 2 units must have sprinkler systems

4) every unit on a new build must have a minimum yard size of…

And so on and so on and so on…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for people building any residential on their land and maybe government can jam stuff down smaller governments throats. But every small government employee thinks they are the king of their kingdom.

WA State to Eliminate SF zoning?

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