Inslee proposes law to increase housing density in cities statewide
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday proposed budgeting more than $815 million to address homelessness, including a new statewide policy to allow small multifamily developments on all lots within a half-mile of major transit stops in large cities.
Inslee and local elected officials, including Seattle Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell, spoke at a press conference about homelessness, one of the top issues in the central Puget Sound region.
Inslee called his proposal "the biggest and boldest, comprehensive collaborative approach to solve our homelessness crisis to date." If the Legislature approves the $815 million package, funding for permanent supportive housing would increase by 2,600 to 9,895 units.
The most sweeping part of Inslee's proposal is to open up more urban areas to denser housing. Inslee took aim at local jurisdictions with "restrictive ordinances, which drastically limit the areas where duplexes, townhouses and other type of middle-income housing can be allowed." This reserves close-in neighborhoods for only the largest and most expensive housing.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/12/15/inslee-proposes-housing-density-law.html