Note: This story has been updated as of February 20 to reflect where all bills currently stand.
While our national politics feel increasingly and utterly impossible to affect, I’m finding refuge in our state and local politics, which continue to march on towards progress despite everything going on at the national level. The Washington State Legislature is now in session, meaning our state Senators and Representatives are proposing, debating and (hopefully🤞) passing bills until April 27th.
Here are the land use, housing and transportation bills I’m keeping a careful eye on; each would have tangible effects on housing affordability or livability in Spokane County if passed.
Important: if you care even a little about any of these bills, the websites I’ve linked allow you to send a comment to your legislators. It takes literally one minute and you don’t even have to remember their names.
Strap in; there are a lot of bills to get excited about (and some, not so much).
- Corner cafés
- Capping parking minimums
- Builder’s remedy for more housing
- Various building code reforms
- Smaller elevators
- Density around transit hubs
- Lot splitting
- Condo liability reform
- Tougher drunk driving laws
- Automated vehicle noise cameras
- New definition of reckless driving
- Transit users on transit boards
- Anti-active transportation bills
