OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill that would encourage increasing city housing density passed the state House Friday.
The act that would purport to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by changing the state’s Growth Management Act.
In debate Friday, Bothell Democratic Representative Davina Duerr said sprawl is expensive.
She explained that what this policy aims to do is get at the 40-45% of greenhouse gas that come from the transportation sector, adding that this will in effect create more housing in the urban centers where they need to be.
Republican Representative Dan Griffey spoke out against policies aiming to increase urban density, stating that they need to reject this policy and adopt the real changes that the rural communities have been asking requesting for years.
A Building Industry of Washington spokeswoman said the legislation “makes it even harder to find buildable lands for single-family homes across our state.”
HB1099 now moves to the Senate for consideration.