House passes Barkis legislation to increase housing options in Washington state
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House passes Barkis legislation to increase housing options in Washington state
Washington state produces the fewest housing units per household of any state in the country, partially due to unnecessary regulatory burdens, restrictive zoning laws, and an antiquated Growth Management Act.
A bill that seeks to increase housing options through lot splitting passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday.
State Representative Andrew Barkis introduced bipartisan House Bill 1245.
“We need more options to tackle our housing supply problem. I understand lot splitting is a unique concept, but it has been successful in other states. It's a simple solution where someone owning a larger lot can split and sell a portion of that lot to allow for the development of another housing unit,” said Barkis, R-Olympia. “Splitting of residential lots will allow for the creation of more homes, smaller homes, less expensive homes, and intergenerational wealth.”
Barkis' bill would:
- Require cities to allow splitting a single residential lot if specific conditions are met.
- Prohibit cities from imposing certain regulations on a residential lot resulting from a lot split.
“This bill is an example of when you get people together, work out some of the differences, and listen, then you get the right results,” continued Barkis. “This is one piece of the housing policy puzzle that will hopefully work in conjunction with many other bills moving forward this session to increase our housing supply.”
The bill passed the state House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support, 94-2 with two excused.
House Bill 1245 now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
