🚨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. 🆙🆙🆙

🚨ACTION ALERT🚨 Scissor stairs + Permit-ready plans both have hearings tomorrow morning in the same committee session (1/21 at 10:30a). Sign up to testify or show your support —>

SB 6026 (More homes near jobs) would allow more apartments near shopping districts - trading vacant space for homes while increasing the neighborhood customer base, local foot traffic, and economic vibrancy for existing businesses. It has a #WALeg committee hearing TOMORROW, 1/16 at 10:30a.

WA's scissor stair bill has a hearing Friday at 10:30am. If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes. Link to sign up: app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie... Select "remote" testimony.

The scissor stair bill, HB 2228, is a simple bill to get the state building code council to do a simple thing: adopt code to allow them. They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia. lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...

Legislative session is here! Lawmakers in Olympia are weighing hundreds of bills — follow our top priorities through our new bill tracker: homes4wa.org/bill-tracker

NEW VIDEO: North America’s Elevator’s Problem Elevators are absolutely essential to modern cities..... and it turns out North America kind of sucks at them. We partnered with @sightline.org to look into the many issues plaguing our elevator industry, and what it might take to fix it.

One housing solution we're excited about this year: MDUs. Mobile dwelling units are homes on wheels. They are hands-down the fastest, lowest-cost solution we can deploy against our housing shortage. Let's legalize MDUs for grandparents, caregivers, and young people starting out!

We're baaaack! Back on Bsky, that is — we didn't stop working for more affordable, abundant homes in the legislative off-season. This group is jazzed about the bills shaping up for 2026 (kicking off Jan. 12) with more to share very soon. Until then, subscribe to our newsletter: homes4wa.org/updates

Not sure where to post your post-election energy? We've got you! We'll be at farmer's markets across the city to share the good word of ✨ housing density ✨ Seattle needs thousands of homes built, and we deserve a comprehensive plan that works for everyone. Learn more and sign up! shorturl.at/E6BYo

After taking a quick break after session I’m starting to think about housing policy for next session. What’s on your pro-housing wishlist? 📋✅

Every bill that made it through #WALeg is the culmination of months (years, really!) of effort/learning/compromise/collaboration.

Washington’s new parking reform act shows what bold leadership (shoutout to @jessdbateman.bsky.social @davina425.bsky.social) and strong storytelling can do. @citizen-cate.bsky.social outlines the strategies for advocates elsewhere. #WAleg

With @governorferguson.bsky.social's signature, the parking bill is LAW. SB 5184 will curb housing costs, sprawl, and excess pavement. People over parking!!! @danbertolet.bsky.social

Just 10 days until King County Affordable Housing Week! RSVP for our 5/12 kickoff—featuring remarks from Patience Malaba; a power of pro-housing messaging discussion with Clayton Aldern; & a state legislative roundtable with Sen. Jessica Bateman, Sen. Emily Alvarado, & more! bit.ly/AHW2025-Kick...

One more week to apply for our housing researcher position!

"It really does re-legalize the basic building blocks of being able to build a walkable city again, which is not possible if all your buildings are surrounded by parking lots that are two times as large as the buildings are." @citizen-cate.bsky.social

WA's Year of Housing Redux? Passed both chambers as of yesterday's cutoff: SB 5184 - parking HB 1491 - TOD w/funded IZ HB 1096 - lot splitting HB 1576 - landmarking SB 5148 - accountability HB 1403 - condo liability HB 1183 - setbacks/facade mod. HB 1757 - conversions HB 1135 - GMA compliance

Seattle, come cheers to #WALeg housing wins this Friday!

TOD just passed 30 - 18!

Three (!) more bills passed out of their second house yesterday, but these two still need your support before tomorrow's deadline. Transit-oriented development (TOD) — HB 1491 app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1491 Clear, objective standards — SB 5613 app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5613 Let's make some noise!

WA HOUSING BILL UPDATE Yesterday three of the remaining five passed: HB 1096 - lot splitting HB 1183 - setbacks/facade mod. SB 5148 - housing accountability Two more days left to pass two more good bills: HB 1491 - TOD SB 5613 - clear/objective stds.

Cheers to @jessdbateman.bsky.social and @davina425.bsky.social for getting parking reform through the legislature!!!

The parking reform bill has passed #WALeg House + Senate! HUGE win for Washington! 🍾 @citizen-cate.bsky.social @jessdbateman.bsky.social @theurbanist.org @sightline.org

And today HB 1576 passed the Senate 47 -2! The bill requires cities to get owner consent before granting landmark status to any building less than 125 years old. It will put an end to the abuse of landmarking to block housing. www.sightline.org/2017/12/19/w...

If you’ve got time to scroll bsky, you’ve got time to contact your reps in the final stretch of #WALeg! Still in the running: SB 5184 Parking HB 1096 Lot splitting HB 1491 TOD HB 1576 Historic landmarking HB 1183 Setback/façade SB 5613 Clear & objective standards SB 5148 Production accountability

Come work with us! We're hiring a senior #housing researcher to develop and drive pro-housing policy at the local and state level. You could help us lift exclusionary zoning rules and promote policies that make Cascadia more affordable.

HB 1576 is @mnolangray.bsky.social's bill of the week! "In Seattle, a building can be designated as a landmark if it’s at least 25 years old. That means anything built as recently as 1999—the year Creed released their multi-platinum record Human Clay—could be landmarked." @danbertolet.bsky.social

We've got new polling, hot off the presses! 📉 Whether Dem, Ind, or Rep, living in a suburb, a city, or rural area- folks in Washington are strongly aligned on support for strong housing policies, and want more action from the State Legislature. 🧵 #WALeg

WA's elevator bill died, but it was a still a win that it got as far as passing the Senate. It was a brand new idea to most, plus it threatened the status quo. Its coalition was mainly just @stephenjacobsmith.com and @sightline.org. It will be back next year. www.theurbanist.org/2025/04/03/e...

Our first bill to pass both chambers is HB 1757! It will make it easier to add housing to existing buildings by sparing the new units from having to comply with the latest energy code, which can incur exorbitant expenses that end up sinking a conversion project altogether.

Bills are on the MOVE! Already passed out of 2nd chamber committee: - SB 5184 for parking flexibility - HB 1757 to ease energy codes for building conversions - HB 1183 for façade modulation, passive house, and other design goodies continued -->

What’s the big deal over parking? What are MDUs? And what's going down in Olympia? You've got Qs, @danbertolet.bsky.social and @citizen-cate.bsky.social have As.🔥 sightline.org/hotseat #WALeg (Date corrected - we'll see you on the 28th!)

WA housing bills on the move in their opposite chambers! Passed out of cmte last week: HB 5184, HB 1757 Monday: HB 1183 Today: HB 1491, HB 1096, HB 1403 Expected later today: SB 5148, SB 5613 Expected tomorrow: HB 1576

Laurel Demkovich and I spoke to legislators, service providers, advocates and others to explore the late Frank Chopp's enormous impact on affordable housing and homelessness in Seattle and across the state. www.cascadepbs.org/politics/202...

Although the parking reform bill was modified in committee, it’s still an improvement over the status quo. And, two years ago this bill would have been a nonstarter. Thank you housing advocates for changing the narrative! Thank you @davina425.bsky.social for working this bill w/bi-partisan support!

Things are moving fast for these WA housing bills that have already had their opposite chamber policy cmte hearings: SB 5184 parking HB 1491 TOD HB 1096 lot split HB 1576 landmarking HB 5156 elevators SB 5613 clear/objective HB 1183 facade mod. etc. SB 5148 accountability HB 1757 energy code/conv.

@dpherriges.bsky.social from @parkingreform.org today in support of WA's Parking Bill, SB 5184: "It's a very natural trap to be sensitive to the hypothetical harms of a change in public policy more so than to the devil you know: which is the actual, ongoing harms of current existing policy."

Check it out, #WAleg! This is true for big cities and small towns alike. Keeping housing costs down is critical in all our communities.

People over parking! #WALeg House committee will vote on the parking reform bill this Friday, March 21. @citizen-cate.bsky.social explained how parking mandates are hurting WA towns + cities in a hearing last week.

@holz-bau.bsky.social testifying today in support of the #WAleg small elevators bill, SB 5156: "Like status quo multifamily development in the US, our elevators are three to five times more expensive than they are in Germany."

you can sign in pro for SSB 5156 affordable elevators in point access blocks at the #WAlege house housing committee here: app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House?se...

After today’s chamber-of-origin cutoff, five of our favorite bills are already scheduled for committee hearings Thurs & Fri in the next house. The momentum for more homes, in all shapes and sizes, is growing stronger! <3 Get ready to show your support for parking reform, lot splitting, and more 🏁🚩

Excessive, arcane parking rules are gobbling open land and rolling pavement across Washington towns. sightline.org/beyond-parking-mandates Sign up to testify or show your support on WA's parking reform bill before its Friday #WALeg hearing: app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House?se...

Ask housing and parking researchers your burning questions! Join @sightline.org on Fri., March 28 for a talk from 4-5pm before heading to Aslan Brewing from 5-6pm. sightline.org/hotseat

WA's historic landmarking reform bill, HB 1576, just passed the House 95 - 0! Amazing to see unanimous bipartisan support for ending the abuse of landmarking to block homebuilding.