Jess Bateman
@jessdbateman.bsky.social
WA State senator 22nd district. Let’s build livable, walkable communities. 🏘️
Parking reform bill SB 5184 (TY @jessdbateman.bsky.social ) requires cities to be in compliance by the end of January 2027 so expect to see more parking reforms pass at the city level in the next few months. Some more info from @sightline.org here: www.sightline.org/2025/05/16/h...
How Washington State Won Parking Reform | Sightline Institute
Lessons and strategies for parking flexibility advocates elsewhere.
sightline.org
These time consuming processes are a barrier to meeting our housing goals. The system must change.
Ryan Packer@typewriteralley.bsky.social · 2w agoBruce Harrell proposed incredibly modest neighborhood center & transit corridor upzones in March of 2024 and it will likely be late 2027 or early 2028 that those zoning changes will be able to be adopted... ...assuming no further delays due to appeals (a big assumption!!)
The legislature needs to intervene. It’s ridiculous that these appeals can cause these delays.
Ryan Packer@typewriteralley.bsky.social · 2w agoBruce Harrell proposed incredibly modest neighborhood center & transit corridor upzones in March of 2024 and it will likely be late 2027 or early 2028 that those zoning changes will be able to be adopted... ...assuming no further delays due to appeals (a big assumption!!)
Applying MHA to newly enacted middle housing before it even has a chance of success is self defeating at best.
Greater Seattle: Councilmember Foster Breaks the MHA Logjam - PubliCola
By Josh Feit Councilmember Dionne Foster > Mayor Katie Wilson You couldn’t have a clearer juxtaposition. Mayor Wilson tried to…
publicola.com
Spokane is what happens when thoughtful city leadership meets effective grassroots activism (Sarah Rose and @spokanereimagined.org are doing awesome work). Racking up real wins on housing and safer streets. Turns out we can try bold things to fix our cities without first studying them for years.
Spokane Rising@spokanerising.com · last mo.News: Spokane is launching a new Emergency Streets program that will rapidly deploy traffic calming within 72 hours of any fatal crash. The program is intended to slow down drivers and increase awareness while crews evaluate whether factors like street design factored into the crash.
100%. This makes no sense, unless you don’t want middle housing.
Spokane Rising@spokanerising.com · last mo.Expanding unfunded inclusionary zoning taxes to cover middle housing across the entirety of Seattle would render HB1110 functionally inoperative. Perversely, it would also be a dramatic step backward for housing equity, since it would make high-resource neighborhoods even more exclusive.
The only projects that’ll pencil out and get built (and there won’t be many) will be luxury housing Applying MHA citywide to the infill zone will be a colossal mistake @mayor.seattle.gov
Spokane Rising@spokanerising.com · last mo.Expanding unfunded inclusionary zoning taxes to cover middle housing across the entirety of Seattle would render HB1110 functionally inoperative. Perversely, it would also be a dramatic step backward for housing equity, since it would make high-resource neighborhoods even more exclusive.
Maddening. We are hiding a housing tax for our new citywide infill zone behind a pause in the same exact fee that’s causing us to lose housing This city will never get out of its own way. NIMBYs that don’t want infill in SFZ finally found their magic bullet www.theurbanist.org/foster-resur...
Foster Resurrects Housing Accelerator, Teeing Up MHA Fee Break in 2027
After many housing advocates feared the idea of a temporary break on Mandatory Housing Affordability fees was dead, Foster's proposal could be approved by early next year. It includes an 80% discount ...
theurbanist.org
Washington's Housing Accountability Act looks to be working exactly as intended in Bainbridge Island. www.theurbanist.org/state-extens...
State Extension Denied, Bainbridge Island Pivots on Growth Plan
After the state's Commerce Department signaled it won't give the city any more leeway, the Bainbridge Council voted 6-1 to advance interim development regulations that will modestly upzone Winslow wit...
theurbanist.org
www.sightline.org/2024/05/01/b... How it started ⬇️
Bellingham’s Parking Reform Pilot Pays Off | Sightline Institute
Old Town’s first new building project has more than double the number of homes and less parking than the city’s old code would have allowed. The rest of the city might follow suit.
sightline.org
Bainbridge Island has received a response to its request for a state extension under the Housing Accountability Act, which would delay the Builder's Remedy taking effect this month. Per CM Ashley Matthews, the answer is no. At least adopt interim regulations or you're non-compliant, Commerce says.
In Bainbridge Island right now, the state Department of Commerce is telling city officials that if they don't adopt a compliant growth plan by August 21 (24 days from now) then the Builder's Remedy will go into effect. Bainbridge Island isn't on track for that deadline and asked for an extension.
We are three and a half weeks from a builders’ remedy going into effect in Bainbridge Island, WA. Developers will be able to entitle projects of unlimited size and density, even above and beyond local zoning, as long as they rent a portion of the units at the following rates:
Spokane Rising@spokanerising.com · 3mo agoBainbridge falls into the Kitsap County AMI area, so 100% AMI is $90,800 for a single-person household or $129,600 for a family of four. So these are the rents that would apply to builders’ remedy projects (again, either 20% of units at 60% AMI or 100% at 120% AMI):
A 5-4 Seattle City Council vote yesterday means city-level appeals that have delayed significant citywide zoning changes in the past will be extinguished. Conventional appeal options to Superior Court or the state growth hearings board will remain. Story: www.theurbanist.org/seattle-coun...
Seattle Council Reins In Growth Plan Appeals in Narrow Vote
The 5-4 vote means city-level appeals that have delayed significant citywide zoning changes in the past will instead be directed to Superior Court of a state growth hearings board. The proposal had pr...
theurbanist.org
Rob Saka has a proposed amendment to the SEPA bill on deck for tomorrow that would completely gut the bill, retaining the right of administrative appeal but requiring the hearing examiner to "expedite review" of those appeals. It really just gives them less time to do the same work.
This is literally why we can’t have nice things. Our housing shortage is a policy choice. We should change it.
Matt Hutchins AIA@matthutchins.bsky.social · 3mo agoSeattle's critical comprehensive plan, a process that so far has taken 5 years, cost millions of dollars, hinges on whether every single person who has a spare $120 to file an appeal is satisfied that every potential, even marginal, impact is fully studied. The EIS was 3047 pages, but not adequate.
Seattle's critical comprehensive plan, a process that so far has taken 5 years, cost millions of dollars, hinges on whether every single person who has a spare $120 to file an appeal is satisfied that every potential, even marginal, impact is fully studied. The EIS was 3047 pages, but not adequate.
Please join tomorrow as City Council considers CB 121215 - legislation related to SEPA appeals. Public comment starts at 2 PM. There have been lots of questions, misunderstandings, and misinformation about this legislation. See FAQs here: council.seattle.gov/2026/07/24/f...
FAQs on Councilmember Lin's legislation related to SEPA appeals - Seattle City Council Blog
Council Bill 121215, my legislation related to SEPA appeals, will expedite Seattle’s ability to address our most pressing issues, from mitigating climate change to building more homes. If we work toge...
council.seattle.gov
We can have livable, walkable communities and we must have the courage to make them a reality. This is what leadership looks like.
Councilmember Eddie Lin@cmeddielin.seattle.gov · 3mo agoFirst up, our OpEd. There’s much more to say, but I wanted to highlight the importance of political courage when it comes to making the choices we know are needed to address affordability and climate change and to redesign our city around people instead of cars. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/this...
CM Eddie Lin responds to the attacks in the Seattle Times on the idea of SEPA reform in an op-ed this morning. "Dense housing, walkable neighborhoods, and safe, accessible transit is how we can finally address our affordability crisis and build a more resilient and equitable city."
Lin is a leader and understands the stakes. I wholly support his effort to focus SEPA on real issues, rather than being a capricious cudgel deployed cynically by individuals looking to penalize new housing.
Ryan Packer@typewriteralley.bsky.social · 3mo agoCM Eddie Lin responds to the attacks in the Seattle Times on the idea of SEPA reform in an op-ed this morning. "Dense housing, walkable neighborhoods, and safe, accessible transit is how we can finally address our affordability crisis and build a more resilient and equitable city."
The audacity of SEPA is that you can only study impacts, and some are not even environmental. Shadows? Views? SEPA can measure the increase in carbon or VMT from infill development, but not state the decrease per capita as a benefit Tighten SEPA: habitatforhumanityseattle.quorum.us/campaign/164...
Habitat for Humanity Seattle
Habitat for Humanity Seattle
habitatforhumanityseattle.quorum.us
The project on the left is completely through environmental review and is approved to move into construction and the project on the right needs more environmental analysis, everything is working great.
I am teaching a 2 credit graduate course on housing policy this fall. If anyone has recommendations on comparative approaches/case studies/data or reading recommendations let me know!
Perversely, SEPA, like CEQA in California, is responsible for untold damage to the environment. When NIMBYs use it to gum up the process -- and that's almost always how it's used -- the result is more cars, more driving, more sprawl, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, more environmental damage.
Councilmember Eddie Lin@cmeddielin.seattle.gov · 4mo agoA bike lane and hundreds of affordable homes in Magnolia have both been delayed since 2008 thanks in significant part to SEPA. Getting people out of cars and building new affordable housing in the City are both good for the environment!
A bike lane and hundreds of affordable homes in Magnolia have both been delayed since 2008 thanks in significant part to SEPA. Getting people out of cars and building new affordable housing in the City are both good for the environment!
Ryan Packer@typewriteralley.bsky.social · 4mo agoAfter this article was published today, the WA Court of Appeals handed Seattle and Cascade Bicycle Club another L in their legal battle over the Missing Link.
@jessdbateman.bsky.social says it all: "[These] seven outstanding designs, once permit-ready, can be built across our state. I’m proud to see WA leading the way & I congratulate the winning teams whose work will help open the door to homeownership...” starterhomeplan.org/news/winners...
Seven Winners Announced in Townhouse Design Competition — WA Starter Home Plan
Seven floor plans have been selected as winners in the Washington Starter Home Plan’s Townhouse Design Competition. These winning designs are part of the Starter Home Plan’s effort to increase product...
starterhomeplan.org
Monday's Most Read # 3 - Yes, a Land Value Tax Is Possible in Washington State link.theoverheadwire.com/e4h96 Sightline Institute @sightline.org
Yes, a Land Value Tax Is Possible in Washington State | Sightline Institute
A new report modeling a property tax building exemption in Spokane rebalances incentives toward community goals, encouraging homebuilding and discouraging in-city vacant land speculation.
link.theoverheadwire.com
Spokane Councilmember Klitzke is leading the charge for state legislation that would authorize the equivalent of a land value tax: “A property tax that exempts buildings and shifts the burden onto land would give us a new and powerful tool to fill in our gaps while keeping Spokane affordable.”
Most Spokane homeowners would pay less tax under reform proposal. Here's who would pay more
Some Spokane politicians want to replace the existing property tax system with one that shifts tax burden from homes, apartments and many commercial properties and place it instead onto parking lots ...
spokesman.com
