Unlocking Housing Opportunities: Understanding Washington's House Bill 1110

[Tim Cornwell]

Unlocking Housing Opportunities: Understanding Washington's House Bill 1110

Washington State is taking a bold step toward addressing its housing crisis with the introduction of House Bill 1110, a groundbreaking piece of legislation aimed at expanding middle housing across the state.

What Does House Bill 1110 Do?

House Bill 1110 mandates that cities with populations over 75,000 allow at least four units per lot in traditionally single-family zones. This number can increase to six units if the lot is near major transit stops or if a portion of the units are designated as affordable housing. This move is designed to increase housing density, diversify housing options, and ultimately make housing more attainable for Washington residents.

Why It Matters

This legislation is crucial in addressing the state's housing shortage. By allowing more units on a single lot, cities can accommodate more residents without needing to expand their urban footprint. This approach supports sustainability, reduces urban sprawl, and makes better use of existing infrastructure.

What about Whatcom County?

In Whatcom County, the demand for housing is projected to grow significantly over the next decade. The need is projected at over 34,000 housing units. The county's comprehensive plan is being updated to accommodate this growth, including the expansion of urban growth areas and revising land use regulations. With the city of Bellingham planning for a 30% population increase over the next 20 years, the need for diverse and accessible housing options has never been greater.

Looking Ahead

With a target of adding over a million homes by 2044, House Bill 1110 represents a significant stride toward meeting the growing demand for housing, particularly in high-demand areas like King County and Whatcom County. 

By fostering more inclusive and varied housing types, this bill paves the way for a more vibrant and resilient community fabric.House Bill 1110 is more than legislation — it’s a doorway to new possibilities for homeowners, investors, and communities across Washington. 

If you're in Whatcom County and wondering what this means for your property, development potential, or next move — I’m here to help you make sense of it all and take strategic action.

[Jay Hinrichs]

Quote from @John Barrett:

@Tim Cornwell I appreciate your optimism with the passage of this legislation but I'll be honest I am very skeptical this will have much if any real impact on the housing shortage in WA.  The WA State legislature has passed numerous regulations in the last 5 years that discourage / depress housing supply in WA.  They ultimately passed the very worst form of governmental interference in the market (rent control) in this latest legislative session.

The combined effect of all the legislative interference in the housing market in WA will be lower supply of housing, reduced investment in housing and ultimately lower quality, higher cost rentals for renters in our state.  Combined with higher interest rates and material costs and I don't think it will be long until everyone sees the fallout from these policy errors.  We only have to look at what's happened in OR from 2023 to see how this will play out.

John

Agreed all these middle housing zoning changes in OR CA WA are having next to zero effect.
land is still too expensive and rents not high enough to make 2 to 4 units pencil in almost all markets.. I mean who is going to pay for the average home in say PDX or SEA  PDX its 500k and seattle probably 750k or more.. then you scrape it and build new ?? no way those pencil. So there is only so many infill lots .. and small plex's many times are not the HBU  higher end lux homes are though HBU.

Nice try feel good and will have next to zero impact .. they need to bring more land into the cities and follow the feds on cutting red tape .. also hookup fees and such are crazy high in most areas .. here in Oregon 30 to 80k for permits alone. how do you do affordable housing with permit fees that high.. only way to do affordable at scale is high density with gov back bonds and create tax shelters for high income follks.  IMHO