Housing density bill passes WA House on day one of 2024 session

State lawmakers are wasting no time getting going on their 2024 housing agenda.

On Monday, the first day of the 2024 legislative session, the House of Representatives voted 94-4 to pass House Bill 1245, which would allow single-family parcels to be divided into two lots to incentivize the development of more and smaller single-family homes.

“Washington is producing the fewest housing units per household of any state because we are hampered by restrictive zoning laws and an antiquated Growth Management Act,” said lead sponsor Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, in an emailed statement after the bill’s passage Monday. “This bill would remove unnecessary barriers to provide Washingtonians more homeownership opportunities and the ability to develop their own property.”

The bill aims to allow for denser development within existing single-family neighborhoods. And because the houses will be smaller by necessity, the hope is that they will be sold for less than the typical large single-family home built today.

https://crosscut.com/briefs/2024/01/housing-density-bill-passes-wa-house-day-one-2024-session

Fewer McMansions and more affordable housing would be a good thing.