Share your views on the future of the Growth Management Act & housing affordability
August 5, 2022
BIAW needs members to share your views on the future of the Growth Management Act & housing affordability by participating in the Collaborative Roadmap Phase III survey.
Background
In the 2021 state operating budget, the Legislature approved $450,000 for the Department of Commerce to convene a task force to make recommendations regarding needed reforms to the state’s growth policy framework, including:
- the growth management act
- state environmental policy act and
- other statutes related to growth, change, economic development, housing, social equity, and environmental conservation.
The process builds upon the findings, concepts and recommendations in recent state-funded reports, including:
- A Road Map to Washington’s Future (2019)
- Environmental Justice Task Force Recommendations Report (2020) and
- Updating Washington’s Growth Policy Framework (2021).
The budget provision requires the task force to involve diverse perspectives, including but not limited to representatives of counties, cities, special districts, real estate, building and agricultural industries, planning and environmental organizations, tribal governments, and state agencies. Government Affairs Director Jan Himebaugh represents BIAW on the task force.
The task force is ready to hear the public’s opinion
The committee has held multiple meetings to discuss the needed reforms. They are now seeking input from the public through the Collaborative Roadmap Phase III survey until Aug. 29, 2022. The survey focuses on eight specific topics about growth in Washington:
- Varied Requirements
- Reducing Conflicts, Gaps, & Redundancies
- Annexation & Special Districts
- Water, Sewer, Schools, & Ports
- Equity & Environmental Justice
- Housing Tax Benefits
- Middle Housing Definitions
The housing production gap
As a result of the underproduction of houses for 30 years, from 1990 to 2020, our state is facing a critical housing shortage. As the population grew by 60% in this period, the number of housing produced was significantly less at only 33%. It is estimated that as of 2020, Washington had a shortage of 268,988 housing units. At this rate, the housing gap would only worsen.
Housing permits do not equal completed homes
Unfortunately, a common misconception from policymakers is that the number of building permits equals the number of houses constructed. Many factors affect the actual start and completion of permitted projects, including:
- Abandoned Projects
- Misclassification
- Design Changes
- Change in Inventory Between Time Periods
This survey can provide builders the opportunity to educate our policymakers on this issue and the roadblocks our industry faces to building more homes.
Help BIAW and your fellow builders
Adding more requirements to the state’s growth management plan will only make our state’s housing crisis worse. We need to make it easier for builders to support our state’s growth, not more difficult through unnecessary regulations.
The Collaborative Roadmap Phase III survey is the perfect opportunity to voice your opinion on the state’s growth policy framework. We urge you to take some time to fill out the survey by August 29, 2022.