MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Statewide upzoning proposal aims for ‘stout’ housing density near mass transit

Jan 19, 2022, 3:32 PM | Updated: Jan 20, 2022, 7:26 am

upzoning...

Mount Baker Lofts, adjacent to Link and an example of Transit Oriented Development. (Photo courtesy of Sound Transit)

(Photo courtesy of Sound Transit)

Housing, growth management, and a push for upzoning are among the challenges faced by the state Legislature in 2022. How those problems intersect with perhaps the largest ongoing infrastructure project in the Puget Sound region — which includes light rail and mass transit expansion — is the subject of a slate of bills that were introduced in committee hearings on Tuesday.

One of them, House Bill 2020, focuses specifically on housing around light rail and transit hubs in cities planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA). It modifies residential zoning around those hubs and establishes minimum density requirements in support of low and moderate income housing.

Tacoma approves landmark bill doing away with single-family zoning label

Highlights of proposed new requirements for the 28 Washington state counties that fall under the GMA include the following:

  • One-quarter mile of light rail or a major transit hub must require a minimum base height of nine stories.
  • One-half mile of light rail or a major transit hub must require a minimum base height of six stories.
  • One mile of light rail or a major transit hub must require an average minimum base height of five stories.
  • No density limits may be imposed within one mile of a light rail or major transit hub, but bulk and height regulations shall be permitted.

A transit hub is defined as a stop on a high capacity transportation system that runs at regular intervals during peak hours, like Sound Transit’s Link. It also encompasses rapid transit bus routes or routes that run in high occupancy vehicle lanes.

“It stands up a board to prioritize housing investments,” said Rep. Amy Walen (Democrat, 48th District), and the bill’s primary sponsor, in a committee hearing Tuesday.

“It honors comprehensive plans of cities, but it does make stout requirements for development of housing along transit corridors, density bonuses for passive or environmentally neutral housing,” Walen noted. “And I do think it’s a comprehensive approach to creating a very much more affordable housing development pipeline, including permitting requirements of cities.”

Ultimately, should the bill be passed, it would require municipalities throughout the state, including Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and Lynnwood, to plan affordable housing development projects around their mass transit lines.

MyNorthwest News

Image: President-elect Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations i...

Associated Press

DA suggests judge could halt Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction

Prosecutors are urging a judge not to throw out President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money criminal conviction.

2 hours ago

Seattle's department transportation...

Frank Sumrall

Head of Seattle’s Department of Transportation to depart after 2 1/2 years

Seattle's director of the Department of Transportation has announced he will be stepping down from his post, effective Feb. 12, 2025.

2 hours ago

Bellevue Police cruiser. (Photo courtesy of Bellevue Police Department)...

Luke Duecy

Chinese citizen pleads guilty to abduction, assault of Bellevue man as part of human smuggling ring

A Chinese national pleaded guilty Monday to charges of kidnapping and assaulting a Bellvue man, U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said.

3 hours ago

An employee holds out a tray of gourmet doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts. (Photo: Brandon Williams, Wi...

Frank Sumrall

24-hour Voodoo Doughnuts location opens in Capitol Hill today

One of the most iconic donut chains in the Pacific Northwest, Voodoo Doughnuts, is opening a new location in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood on Dec. 10.

4 hours ago

puyallup kidnap...

Frank Sumrall

Puyallup woman arrested for attempting to kidnap a 3-year-old in a waiting room

Police arrested a woman in Puyallup after she allegedly tried to kidnap a young child right in front of the child's mother.

5 hours ago

syria...

Associated Press

Israeli troops reportedly advance deeper into Syria as Netanyahu testifies in trial

Israel carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country.

6 hours ago

Statewide upzoning proposal aims for ‘stout’ housing density near mass transit