SB 5466 – Transit-oriented development

Promoting transit-oriented development.

Sponsors: Liias, Gildon, Kuderer, Lovelett, MacEwen, Mullet, Braun, Billig, Dhingra, Frame, Hunt, Kauffman, Nguyen, Nobles, Pedersen, Saldaña, Salomon, Shewmake, Stanford, Valdez, Van De Wege, Wilson, C.

Status: House Housing Committee

Summary

• Establishes that cities planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA) may not enact or enforce any new development regulation within a station area or station hub that prohibits the siting of multifamily residential housing on parcels where any other residential use is permissible, with some exceptions.
• Establishes that cities planning under the GMA may not enact or enforce any new development regulation within a station area or station hub that imposes a maximum floor area ratio of less than the applicable transitoriented density for any use otherwise permitted, or imposes a maximum residential density, measured in residential units per acre or other metric of land area.
• Provides that, to encourage transit-oriented development and transit use and resulting substantial environmental benefits, counties and cities planning under GMA may not require off-street parking as a condition of permitting development within a station area.
• Requires the Department of Transportation to provide technical assistance and establish grant programs.
• Expands the categorical exemption for infill development to facilitate the timely and certain deployment of sustainable transit-oriented development.