House Bill 1110 and Senate Bill 5190 for “missing middle” housing do not align with the spirit of the Growth Management Act (GMA). The Legislature should not abandon the foundational values and approaches it requested, as defined in 2019 by “A Road Map to Washington’s Future” by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a joint, nonpartisan effort of Washington State University and the University of Washington:
• Respect that place matters.
• Maximize flexibility, adaptation, and innovation in plans and policies.
• Economic and ecological conditions are very different across the state.
• Account for the interdependency and relationship of people with the land.
• Consider all elements needed to create thriving communities.
• Focus on creating conditions for collaboration.
Cities continue to show their interest in addressing their local housing needs. With the right tools, such as 2019’s HB 1923 (increasing urban residential building capacity) and HB 1406 (investments in affordable and supportive housing), cities can meet their unique housing challenges.
More revenue is clearly needed to address the lack of below-market housing and homelessness prevention. The state should provide support at the systems level. The state should meet the vision of a flexible framework and allow participation locally, where citizens have the greatest voice.
Pamela Johnston, Bellevue