Another WA first for housing:
SB 6026 just passed the House 69 - 27!
Other states have passed bills to allow housing in commercial zones, but WA took it a step further by limiting the amount of ground floor commerical cities can require.
Thank you Sen. Alvarado and @davina425.bsky.social!!
WA's elevator bill passed the House last night 93 - 1 !!!
Once signed by the Gov, it will be the nation's first state legislation for elevator code reform.
Yes, it would have been a bigger win if the global standards intent language had not been amended out. @sightline.org will keep pushing!
Yet another example of how local policymakers burden home building with extra costs that should instead be funded through a broad tax because they provide broad public benefits.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
🚨FINAL PUSH🚨
Before Friday's cutoff, let your rep know you support SB 6026 for more homes near jobs!
"You might think that our rules about elevators would help wheelchair users, but they can inadvertently achieve the opposite: overkill in elevator code kills elevators."
Thank you @ceceliablack.bsky.social for spelling this out so clearly!
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/miss...
Wins from Oly: Scissor stairs (HB 2228) and condo liability (HB 2304) have both passed the Senate!
What's still in action after this week's cutoff deadline? Our bill tracker is up to date with the latest 👇👇
hey washington housing folks
tomorrow at 10.30 am, the WA house housing committee will hold a hearing on SB 5156, allowing smaller and more affordable elevators in single stair buildings. more accessible hom
this saves $10Ks *per* elevator
please sign in pro here
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
#WALeg
After passing the Senate last week, WA's elevator bill has a hearing in the House Housing commitee tomorrow at 10:30am.
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House?se...
The elevator bill has passed the Senate, 42-6!
So, in Seattle, what was the climate impact of all those new people living where they ended up? To know that, you’d have to imagine what would have happened if Seattle had sprawled more. We can look back to Dallas for the what-if.
Now’s the time to let your Senator know how you feel about elevator reforms! Let's unlock affordable, accessible, senior-friendly homes: app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Happy Friday! Two of our priority bills passed out of the House this week:
- HB 2228, to allow space-saving “scissor stairs” in apartment buildings
- HB 2304, concerning liability for small condo buildings
Both passed with unanimous support🥳
New report: Which booming cities are growing their existing neighborhoods—and which are just paving over farms?
@jayleetx.com found that no US metro has done a better job of adding residents to already populated neighborhoods than Seattle.
"Think of it like a small backyard cottage but on wheels — and much cheaper."
@joshuamcnichols.bsky.social @kuow.org
WA bill HB 2228 to allow scissor stairs passed the House today, 95 - 0!
Thank you Rep. Zahn!
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
If you agree that retail spaces on the ground floor of apartment buildings should be optional, not mandated, here's something you can do:
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
Last year WA's elevator code reform bill, SB 5156, passed the Senate and died in the House, and it's now on deck for the Senate to pass it again.
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
🚨ACTION ALERT🚨We want more homes near jobs!
HB 2480 would allow more apartments near shopping districts — good thing for workers *and* local businesses. It has its first committee hearing tomorrow, January 28 at 8:00 am. Voice your support:
Short session moves fast. Here's what was introduced and moved through committee last week: www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
Legalize it!
🚨ACTION ALERT🚨
HB 1443 to legalize MDUs is stuck in committee and needs caucus action to get to the floor for a vote. Let our elected leaders know that we want more of these unbeatably low-cost, fast-build, and flexible housing options in our cities ASAP.
Urbanist Podcast: Olympia Preview and a Highway Boondoggle www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/22/u...
Excited to be part of the Coalition for Elevator Reform's first brainstorm session.
Mark my words, we're gonna get elevators in more buildings & more cities
NEW // Sunday Video: North America Has an Elevator Problem www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/18/s...
This session we’re again working to help pass SB 5156 to make elevators more economical in WA.
Legalizing smaller, lower-cost elevators will help make more small-scale apartment buildings and age-friendly city living accessible to more Washingtonians, no matter their physical abilities. 🆙🆙🆙
Scissor stairs (SB 6001 + companion HB 2228) mean that in apartment buildings, more square footage can go to living space than to stairwells. The bill had a great hearing in the House last week — it's on to the Senate!
Permit-ready plans for factory-built homes (SB 6015) would establish statewide pre-approved plans so companies can scale up, standardize, and streamline their operations. Building modular housing off-site cuts costs and time, delivering faster, less expensive home choices.
