danbertolet.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

I'm calling it: Washington has now accomplished more on statewide zoning reform than any other US state. In the just ended 2025 legislative session, Washington lawmakers knocked out nation-leading parking and TOD bills, and more. www.sightline.org/2025/05/15/w...

submitted 6 hours ago • 2 comments

Wild to see national TV news emphasizing that you get more affordability and home ownership opportunities when you allow more density in areas previously reserved for single-detached houses. www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news...

submitted 11 days ago • 2 comments

Update on WA's 2025 Housing Supply Billapalooza: Signed by the Gov: HB 1183, HB 1757, HB 1135 Awaiting signature: SB 5184, HB 1491, HB 1096, HB 1576, SB 5148, HB 1403, SB 5571 Dead: HB 1443, SB 5156, SB 5613 Info on most of those bills here: www.sightline.org/2025/02/13/w...

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Montana giving Washington a run for its money on leading the nation on statewide reforms to boost housing. One of those states has a red trifecta, while the other has a blue trifecta. It's almost as if people of every political stripe need homes to live in. www.sightline.org/2025/04/25/m...

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Do you want to get in on the action to help make every year another Year of Housing? The right stuff is a mix of experience, analysis, writing, and political strategy. If you think you've got it, please apply! www.sightline.org/senior-resea...

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

WA bill HB 1576 that requires owner consent for historic landmarking has passed concurrence and now awaits the Governor's signature. “Only two legislators voted against the bill that seeks to curtail weaponization of the landmarking process.” www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news...

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

“If we really want to open up opportunities for new housing, excessive parking mandates have got to go.” - @citizen-cate.bsky.social “Pro-housing advocates have changed the narrative and demanded action.” - @jessbateman.bsky.social www.knkx.org/politics/202...

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

Yep, some of WA's housing bills need concurrance and all still need the Gov's signature, but they got over their biggest hurdles and that's cause for celebration... ...so please join us to do that this eve, 5pm at Stoup Brewing on Capitol Hill. BONUS: ONE FREE DRINK FOR THE FIRST 50 TO ARRIVE!

submitted 27 days ago • 3 comments

ICYMI: after three years of advocacy from @futurewise.bsky.social and sponsorship by @staterepjuliareed.bsky.social, Washington passed the most significant state-level transit-oriented development mandate in the country with HB 1491. The bill now heads to @governorferguson.bsky.social for signature!

submitted 28 days ago • 1 comment

Good summary of WA's new homes-near-transit law. The breakthrough compromise that got it passed (with a few R votes, even!): funded inclusionary zoning www.theurbanist.org/2025/04/16/s...

submitted 29 days ago • 5 comments

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

submitted 28 days ago • 2 comments

TOD just passed 30 - 18!

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

The WA legislature has been racking up the wins on housing abundance bills, and there may even be a couple more to come! Please join @sightline.org for a happy hour to celebrate, this Friday at Stoup (formerly Optimism) on Capitol Hill. www.sightline.org/wp-content/u...

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

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.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

The WA Senate just passed HB 1183, the first bill in the US to: 1 - Grant extra setback and height allowances for passive house 2 - Prohibit local req's for facade modulation and upper level setbacks for innovative construction types and affordable housing lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...

submitted 31 days ago • 2 comments

Five remaining WA housing abundance bills must pass out of their opposite chambers by 5pm on Wednesday: HB 1491 - TOD HB 1096 - lot splitting HB 1183 - setbacks/facade mod. SB 5613 - clear/objective stds. SB 5148 - housing accountbility Bill info here: www.sightline.org/2025/02/13/w...

submitted 31 days ago • 1 comment

The WA House just passed what is arguably the strongest parking reform bill yet attempted in the U.S., SB 5184, on a bipartisan vote of 64 - 31 !!!!!!!!! Next stop, the governor's desk. Huge thank you to @jessdbateman.bsky.social and @davina425.bsky.social !!! www.theurbanist.org/2025/02/20/w...

submitted 34 days ago • 2 comments

@jessdbateman.bsky.social's SB 5571 just passed the House 62 - 33! There's kinda no end to little reforms like this that we need to increase flexibility and reduce the cost of building housing. Silver buckshot!

submitted 34 days ago • 1 comment

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...

submitted 36 days ago • 1 comment

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.

submitted 37 days ago • 0 comments

Great bunch of WA housing abundance bills, all now awaiting floor votes in their opposite chamber: Parking - SB 5184 TOD - HB 1491 Lot splitting - HB 1096 Landmarking - HB 1576 Code for innovative bldg types - HB 1183 Clear/objective standards - SB 5613 Housing production accountability - SB 5148

submitted 37 days ago • 0 comments

WA's condo liabilty reform bill, HB 1403, just passed the Senate floor 47 -1. app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...

submitted 37 days ago • 2 comments

SB 5613 that requires clear and objective standards makes it 4 for 4 on housing supply bills moving out of fiscal committees today - now WA needs the same score on their floor votes.

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

HB 1491 and HB 1183 both just passed out of Senate Ways & Means, last remaining hurdle is the Senate floor!

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

And... @jessdbateman.bsky.social's Housing Accountability Act, SB 5148, just passed House Appropriations 22 - 9!

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

Big day for WA housing bills up for vote in fiscal committees, still in progress: HB 1491 TOD HB 1183 code for innovative hsg SB 5613 clear/objective standards SB 5148 production accountability Rent stabilization (HB 1217) passed Senate Ways&Means earlier today. www.sightline.org/2025/02/13/w...

submitted 38 days ago • 1 comment

This paper was making the rounds, but did you notice it has a key contradiction? They divide cities into two groups (high and low housing supply constraints), and estimate the supply elasticity—how much quantities change in response to prices. Result: no difference! 1/

submitted 42 days ago • 3 comments

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...

submitted 41 days ago • 8 comments

HB 1757 is the first of @sightline.org's priority bills to get through both WA chambers, passing the Senate 48-1. It makes a critical fix to 2023's HB 1042 so that housing can be added to existing buildings without triggering onerous updates to meet new energy code. app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...

submitted 42 days ago • 0 comments

Montana's parking bill looks eerily similar to WA's... montanafreepress.org/2025/03/31/m...

submitted 44 days ago • 0 comments

The posting-to-policy is moving fast with single-stair reform. @elikahn.bsky.social has a run down on the policy landscape: marketurbanism.com/2025/03/28/r...

submitted 45 days ago • 2 comments

This year WA is trying again on a bill to set a higher REET rate for expensive home sales, but this time around it has a big improvement: it doesn't apply to the sale of rental apartment buildings. So now it won't tax modest apartments as if they were mansions. app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?...

submitted 45 days ago • 1 comment

Montana just passed a condo reform bill that shortens the window of liability from ten years to six. bills.legmt.gov#/laws/bill/2...

submitted 45 days ago • 1 comment

Though this article is framed around loss of affordable housing, it also reveals an incredible success story of how building more housing helps affordability. From 2017 to 2022, the number of Seattle rentals affordable to 50 - 80% AMI increased by 44%. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

submitted 45 days ago • 2 comments

This illustrates why we need to pass HB 1576 to require owner consent for landmarking. In this case, the house was nominated by its owner. But it could have been nominated by anyone who wanted to prevent redevelopment of the property and the city staff recommendation would have been the same.

submitted 46 days ago • 1 comment

Great article. Bad headline. Fixed it: "That isn't sitting right with one out-of-touch councilmember." As the article itself notes: "Polling has consistently shown the majority of Seattleites support more density, even when it’s in their neighborhood." www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

submitted 48 days ago • 2 comments

All of the WA housing bills quoted below have now moved out of their policy committees. Final hurdle for these is a floor vote: SB 5184 parking HB 1096 lot splitting HB 1576 historic landmarking HB 1403 condo liability HB 1757 energy code/conv. The others have to get through fiscal cmtes next.

submitted 49 days ago • 1 comment