How Washington's local governments have moved to allow for denser housing

Washington lawmakers in recent years have passed laws to require local governments to allow for more housing density with duplexes, triplexes or attached dwelling units.

But before lawmakers required these changes, they looked at ways to incentivize local governments to do this on their own. Two laws, one passed in 2019 and one passed in 2020, provided grants to local governments to create housing action plans intended to increase the number of units that could be built.

For many places in Washington, the incentives worked, according to a new study.

The University of Washington Center for Real Estate Research looked at how local governments that received the grant funding from the state in the last four years have made changes to accommodate denser housing. Those changes include increasing the number of units allowed on a lot, limiting parking requirements or offering perks for developers to build affordable housing.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/04/09/how-washingtons-local-governments-have-moved-to-allow-for-denser-housing/