WA Wetgevers who work on commercial-residential conversion bill
“In earlier sessions, the legislative power has established rules to enable the conversion of existing commercial properties for housing,” said the Walen office in an announcement. “Those rules that only apply to conversions in commercial and mixed user zones. House Bill 1757 extends these reimbursements to commercial buildings in mainly residential zones. “
Walen said that these extensions will be crucial to tackle the housing shortage of the state.
“Expanding these reimbursements to residential areas means that we will build more walkable, livable neighborhoods,” she said. “I am proud that in recent years I have worked on generating more housing stock and will continue to look for innovative ideas to tackle our challenges in the field of housing facilities.”
Prior to the vote, according to reporting by The OlympianWalloons characterized the state as in an ’emergency’. The report described a scenario with “long permit processing times and priceless financing costs, plus landfills that are filled with the old building materials of the demolished buildings.”
The population of Washington continues to surpass the number of available houses, and the prices in the state remain out of reach for many residents who want to enter the housing market, According to data From the State Office of Financial Management.
City leaders in the large metro areas of the state, including Seattle, have also driven the approval of these conversions on a wider scale as an answer to their own housing problems. But Seattle leaders looked far apart to possible solutions during a hearing in January.
Housing A Democratic Caucus representative of the State House reached for comment on the proposal, but did not receive an immediate answer. A representative for GOV. Bob Ferguson indicated for housing that he supports the bill.
“Gov. Ferguson supports legislative efforts to streamline the permit requirements to make it easier and cheaper to build all kinds of homes,” said Brionna Aho, communication director of the governor. “He praises Rep. Walloons for her work on this legislation. “
After he was introduced to the Senate last week, a hearing on the measure will take place on Friday, March 14.
