Legislative Update: Learn more about middle housing.
It’s that time of year again — the Washington State Legislature began the 2022 session on January 10. Together with Habitat for Humanity of Washington, we at South Puget Sound Habitat are engaging with our legislators on bills impacting affordable housing here in Washington and Thurston County.
Cost of Home campaign
Our local and state legislative work follows Habitat for Humanity International’s Cost of Home advocacy campaign. Cost of Home calls on policymakers to address the immediate affordability needs of families facing eviction or foreclosure due to a crisis. This includes the ongoing, structural unaffordability of homes for low-income individuals and families across the rental and homeownership spectrum.
At Habitat, we know that a home remains affordable if household members do not spend more than 30% of their income on a mortgage, rent, and housing expenses. Approximately 12% of Thurston County’s households are cost-burdened, meaning more than 30% of their income goes to housing costs. Of those, almost half pay more than 50% of their income on housing.
Now, as the economic impacts of the pandemic continue to reverberate, hundreds of families risk losing their homes. This is especially true for Black Americans and other people of color who were disproportionately affected by the subsequent economic fallout, and consequently faced greater housing unaffordability and insecurity. Policymakers at every level of government must address these issues. Immediate housing stability assistance and lasting improvements to the overall affordability of housing are critical for ensuring that households recover from the pandemic and prepare us to withstand the next crisis.
Legislation
During the 2022 legislative session, Habitat has been supporting a number of bills that if passed, will further our Cost of Home advocacy campaign goals and help improve home affordability. One that I’d like to highlight today is:
HB1782/SB 5670
The objective is to create additional middle housing near transit (rail, bus, ferry) and in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family housing. Middle housing is defined as duplexes, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-plexes, stacked flats, townhouses, and courtyard apartments. This bill requires that cities planning under the Growth Management Act authorize middle housing types or average minimum densities near transit based on the population of the city. This means that all lots zoned for detached single-family residential use and within ½ mile of a major transit stop would automatically be permitted to build middle housing.
Also required by the bill is for the Washington State Department of Commerce to provide technical assistance to cities authorizing middle housing types or average minimum densities. The department must develop model middle housing ordinances to guide the creation of future ordinances.
Habitat supports this bill because it optimizes land use for more affordable housing to be built. Middle housing is typically more affordable to purchase or rent than single-family housing. Requiring that the housing be built near transit will allow access to inexpensive (no-cost in Thurston County) reliable transportation to work, school, and more. Middle housing can also be used to infill already developed areas, slowing the expansion of urban growth boundaries. For example, SPS Habitat is currently constructing a townhome development in Tumwater. Because townhomes take up less space than a typical single-family home, we can offer a greater number of affordable homes to families.
Take action
Write to your legislators and let them know which bills you support and why. Look on the Washington Legislature’s website at app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder to find out who your legislators in the House and Senate are and their contact information. You don’t need to send them a long message. Make sure you reference the bill number and title and why you support it. The why can be short and sweet. For example, when writing to your legislators in the:
House: “I support HB 1782 because I believe our community needs more affordable housing. I ask that you vote to pass these three bills.”
Senate: “I support SB 5670 because I believe our community needs more affordable housing. I ask that you vote to pass these three bills.”
You can use this link to send a letter to your legislators about middle housing.
You can use this link to send a letter to your members of congress about the Cost of Home.
Learn more about HB1782 here.
Learn more about SB5670 here.