Updating GMA Housing Elements
Growth Management Act housing element updates and requirements created by HB 1220 are presented below.
Planning for Housing in Washington State
In 2021, the Washington Legislature changed the way communities are required to plan for housing. House Bill 1220 (HB 1220) amended the Growth Management Act (GMA) to instruct local governments to “plan and accommodate” for housing affordable to all income levels. This significantly strengthens the previous goal, which was to encourage affordable housing. HB 1220 also made significant updates to how jurisdictions are to plan for housing in the housing element of their comprehensive plans.
Project Updates
Final guidance
Housing projections and tools
- Final projected housing needs are available in the Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT) (EXCEL)
- March 2023 housing guidance update with summary of final housing need projections (PDF)
Webinars and trainings
- Establishing Housing Targets for Your Community (Housing Need Projections and Allocation) – Webinar Recording, Presentation (PDF)
- Updating Your Housing Element with HB 1220 (2021) Requirements (Land Capacity and Making Adequate Provisions) – Webinar Recording, Presentation (PDF)
- Racially Disparate Impacts, Displacement and Exclusion in Housing – Webinar Recording, Presentation (PDF)
- Talking Race for Planners (May 24, 2023) – Webinar Recording, Presentation (PDF)
House Bill 1220 (2021)
Commerce will provide guidance to communities to meet the new housing goal and updated requirements for housing elements in RCW 36.70A.070(2). This includes:
- Projected housing needs for all economic segments of the population (moderate, low, very low and extremely low income). Projections will be provided at the county level and must be incorporated into local planning efforts. This includes projected need for emergency housing, emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing.
- Guidance on provisions for moderate density housing options within an Urban Growth Area (UGA), including but not limited to duplexes, triplexes and townhomes.
- Guidance on reviewing for adequate housing for existing and projected needs for all economic segments of the community, including sufficient land capacity for all projected housing. This includes guidance on how to assess zoning and regulations to allow, encourage and incentivize housing to meet the projected housing needs in each income band.
- Guidance on examining racially disparate impacts, displacement and exclusion in housing policies and regulations, and recommended policies to address them.
Work Plan and Project Schedules
The work will be broken into two projects with overlapping goals and timelines. Updates as of February 2023 are in bold.
Projected Housing Needs and associated policies and guidance
- Methodology for projecting housing needs (January-October 2022)
- Projected housing needs at the countywide level (December 2022-February 2023) (See March project update for final projections in tabular form and the Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT) for final projections based on selected county population projections)
- Recommendations for allocating countywide projected needs among jurisdictions and allocation tool (January-July 2022)
- Recommendations for reviewing capacity for housing (August-December 2022)
- Recommendations for making adequate provisions for all housing needs (August 2022-January 2023)
- Final guidance Book 1: Establishing Housing Targets for your Community (May 2023) – including final projected housing needs and allocation guidance
- Training webinar on Book 1 (April 2023)
- Final guidance Book 2: Guidance for Updating your Housing Element (May 2023) – including final land capacity and adequate provisions guidance
- Training webinar on Book 2 (May 2023)
Racially Disparate Impacts
- Recommendations for addressing racially disparate impacts (April-June 2022)
- Recommendations on how to begin to undo past impacts and prevent displacement (July-September 2022)
- Stakeholder open house and draft guidance released (September 2022)
- Training webinar (December 2022)
- Final guidance Book 3: Guidance for Addressing Racially Disparate Impacts (April 2023)
Project Materials
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Contact
Laura Hodgson, Senior Planner
Email: Laura.Hodgson@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-764-3143
Resources
Publications from Growth Management Services
- 2021 Legislative Changes to the Housing Laws, including initial Guidance for HB 1220
- Guidance for Updating Your Housing Element (2021)
- Guidance for Developing a Housing Action Plan (2020), with guidance on moderate density housing options
- Housing Memo: Issues Affecting Housing Availability and Affordability (2019)
Commerce publications
- 2015 Washington State Housing Needs Assessment, with focus on subsidized housing
- 2018 Behavioral Health Capital Funding Prioritization and Feasibility Study (PDF)
- Commerce Homeless Management Information System
- Community Services and Housing Information
Other publications
HB 1220 Project Overview Update (March 2023) (PDF)
HB 1220 Project One-Page Overview (Aug 2022) (PDF)
HB 1220 Overview PowerPoint (PPT)
Special Housing Types and HB 1220 (Sections 3-5) (PPT) – HB 1220 also required jurisdictions to update their development regulations with respect to transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, emergency shelters and emergency housing. This PowerPoint provides an overview of these new requirements, more information about these special housing types, what local governments have done in response, and considerations and supports for jurisdictions undertaking this work. The video presentation of this material is available here; the recording starts at 1:07:30. Please contact Mary Reinbold with questions (509-638-5449, mary.reinbold@commerce.wa.gov).
Public Review Drafts
FINAL Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT) (EXCEL) with final housing need projections – download the file before using the tool
DRAFT Guidance for Making Adequate Provisions to Accommodate All Housing Needs (PDF) (comments due Feb. 24, 2023)
DRAFT Guidance for Evaluating Land Capacity to Meet All Housing Needs (PDF) (comments due Jan. 25, 2023)
DRAFT Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT) (EXCEL) (updated Dec. 19, 2022 with 2022 OFM data) – download the file before using the tool
DRAFT Projection Methodology (PDF) (comments due Nov. 11, 2022)
Emergency Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing Methodology Brief
DRAFT Guidance for Allocating Projected Countywide Housing Needs to Local Jurisdictions (PDF) (comments due Aug. 26, 2022)
Advisor Committee Meeting Materials
Advisory Committee members (PDF)
Advisory Committee Meeting #1 Presentation (PDF) – project overview and allocation guidance discussion
Advisory Committee Meeting #1 Notes (PDF)
Advisory Committee Meeting #2 Presentation (PDF) – projected needs methodology and allocation guidance
Advisory Committee Meeting #2 Notes (PDF)
Advisory Committee Meeting #3 Presentation (PDF) – allocation guidance and allocation tool
Advisory Committee Meeting #4 Presentation (PDF) – baseline and projected special housing needs methodology
Advisory Committee Meeting #5 Presentation (PDF) – projected housing needs by income level methodology
Advisory Committee Meeting #6 Presentation (PDF) – goals, policies, and mandatory provisions (b); land capacity (c); and adequate provisions to address housing needs (d)
Advisory Committee Meeting #7 Presentation (PDF) – land capacity (c) and adequate provisions to address housing needs (d)
Advisory Committee Meeting #8 Presentation (PDF) – adequate provisions to address housing needs (d)
Special Housing Needs Focus Group Meeting Presentation (PDF)
Final Guidance
Racially Disparate Impacts Training Webinar Presentation (PDF)
Racially Disparate Impacts Training Webinar Recording (Vimeo video website)
Public Review Drafts
DRAFT Racially Disparate Impacts Guidance (PDF) (comments due Oct. 19, 2022)
Racially Disparate Impacts Open House PowerPoint (PDF)
Racially Disparate Impacts Guidance Open Housing recording (Vimeo video website)
Advisory Work Group Meeting Materials
Advisory Work Group member list (PDF)
Advisory Work Group Meeting #1 Presentation (PDF) – overview of HB 1220, project approach, group charter, and discussion
Advisory Work Group Meeting #1 Notes (PDF)
Advisory Work Group Meeting #2 Presentation (PDF) – working definitions and racially disparate impacts case study
Advisory Work Group Meeting #2 Notes (PDF)
Advisory Work Group Meeting #3 Presentation (PDF) – overview of potential methods for assessing racially disparate impacts in housing
Advisory Work Group Meeting #3 Notes (PDF)
Advisory Work Group Meeting #4 Presentation (PDF) – overview of potential methods for assessing displacement risk and displacement in housing
Advisory Work Group Meeting #4 Notes (PDF)
Advisory Work Group Meeting #5 Presentation (PDF) – draft methodology review, including housing needs assessment recap, housing element review and policy options
Advisory Work Group Meeting #5 Notes (PDF) – forthcoming
Advisory Work Group Meeting #6 Presentation (PDF) – summary of public comments received and plans to address in final guidance
Advisory Work Group Meeting #6 Notes (PDF)