Future housing needs by area median income groups



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july 19, 2024
Housing
 

STEP Model Ordinance materials are ready!

After several months of work and feedback from across the state, Commerce is excited to share our final STEP guidance. In 2021, the Legislature changed the way communities are required to plan for housing, including emergency *s*helters, *t*ransitional housing, *e*mergency housing, and *p*ermanent supportive housing, or STEP (RCW 35A.21.430, RCW 35.21.683).

To support jurisdictions as they regulate STEP with their next periodic update, Commerce developed several resources, including:


* *State of the Practice Report [ [link removed] ]*
* *Model Ordinance, User’s Guide and Best Practices Report [ [link removed] ]*
* *Four case studies [ [link removed] ] *on successful local STEP implementation
* *Communications toolkit [ [link removed] ] *to help jurisdictions communicate the benefits, challenges and best practices associated with STEP

Find these new resources on our _Updating GMA Housing Elements webpage_.

Upcoming webinar

Join us from *1-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, *to learn more about the STEP model ordinance materials.

 

Register [ [link removed] ]

 

*Drop-in hours*

Commerce will also host STEP office hours twice per month to assist planners, elected officials and the public. Join us from* 3-4 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.*


* Register (Zoom) for the *second Thursday* [ [link removed] ]of the month meeting.
* Register (Zoom) for the *fourth Thursday* [ [link removed] ]of the month meeting.

Contact Laura Hodgson at [email protected] for additional questions.

Additional housing updates

CLIHP awards

Commerce is awarding $220,000 in Coordinated Low-Income Housing Planning (CLIHP) grants to seven community partnerships to support coordination of land use planning and homeless services planning.

View the list of grant awards (PDF) [ [link removed] ]

Each city- or county-led partnership will use the funds to coordinate resources and plan for their lowest income housing needs, including residents experiencing homelessness.

The grant application period remains open until available funds are spent. Eligible applicants can receive up to $25,000 to support planning efforts to address their low-income housing needs.

For more details, see the grant instructions [ [link removed] ]. Please submit questions and applications to Laura Hodgson <[email protected]>.

More CHIP funding coming soon!

*Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program grants*

A new round of Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grants will open for applications on Aug. 26. CHIP grants support utility improvements for affordable housing projects. To date, $88 million in state investment has supported the development of more than 8,000 affordable housing units.  

*Next CHIP grant opportunity:*


* Approximately $12 million available
* Maximum request $1 million
* Applications open in Zoom grants on Aug. 26, closing Oct. 31.
* Awards will be announced in January 2025.
* Funds must be expended by June 30, 2027.
* *A CHIP application workshop: 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20.*

 

Register [ [link removed] ]

 

For more information, visit Commerce’s CHIP webpage [ [link removed] ].

Housing for All Planning Tool updated

The Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT) has been updated to include a third method for allocating housing needs, enhancing planning capabilities for cities and counties.

Check out the updated HAPT tool [ [link removed] ]

Commerce recommends counties who have not yet completed their housing need allocations review this additional method. If counties do not have an alternative method for allocating housing needs, Commerce recommends using the Method C. Please contact Laura Hodgson <[email protected]> with questions or technical assistance.

Middle Housing Model Ordinances comment period

*Updated Draft Middle Housing Model Ordinance and User Guide available for public comment through Aug. 7*

Commerce seeks your feedback on the draft updates to middle housing model ordinances and the middle housing model ordinance user guide. These two ordinances, and the accompanying user guide, will provide technical assistance and guidance to cities adopting their own middle housing ordinances, regulations, and other official controls.

View the draft guidance documents and submit comments by Aug. 7 via the Planning for Middle Housing [ [link removed] ] webpage.

Paper to Digital grant

Commerce is now taking applications for the Paper to Digital Grant Program. In 2023, SB 5290 [ [link removed] ] amended the Local Project Review Act, RCW 36.70B [ [link removed] ] to consolidate, streamline, and further improve local permit review processes for applicants, customers, planners, builders and designers. This grant program is designed to support cities and counties in the transition from paper to digital permit review processes; it will also aid in addressing housing shortages in their jurisdictions and across the state.

*Funding details*

Grants of up to $375,000 are available and will be prioritized based upon responses to questions posed in the grant application. Eligible costs may include those associated with the following activities:


* Costs to fully or partially update permit review process from paper filing systems to software systems capable of processing digital permit applications
* Virtual inspections
* Electronic review
* Video storage capacity

*Application information*


* Grant application instructions [ [link removed] ]
* Grant application [ [link removed] ] (Smart Sheet intake form)
* *Applications due by 5 p.m. Monday August 19*

*Pre-application virtual workshop*

Commerce will host a pre-application workshop to provide more information about this grant opportunity and how to apply. Attendance is not required to apply for a grant.

Workshop information:


* *10 a.m. Thursday, July 25*

 

Register [ [link removed] ] (Zoom)

 

*Questions?*

Please contact Growth Management Services. You can email Allan Johnson, project manager, at [email protected]. Visit Commerce’s Local Project Review webpage  [ [link removed] ]for more information.

Growth Management staff update

Amy Hilland
Amy Hilland

Please welcome a new Eastern Region senior planner Amy Hilland (she/her). Amy provides technical assistance to four counties (Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille and Stevens) and serves as the unit’s expert on the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA).

Amy holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional planning from Eastern Washington University. Before joining Commerce, Amy worked for six years as a planner for Kootenai County, Idaho. She also serves as the President of the Inland Empire Section for the American Planning Association Washington State Chapter. Amy lives in Spokane, where she enjoys painting, reading and checking out the local eats.



Nathan Pate
Nathan Pate

Say hello to a Western Region senior planner Nathan (Nate) Pate, who joins Commerce to assist Thurston, Mason and Kitsap Counties, as well as some small cities in King County, to plan for sustainable growth and economic development.

Nate is the unit’s subject matter expert on Urban Growth Areas and buildable lands and holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Western Washington University.

Before joining Commerce, Nate served as a local planner for counties and cities primarily in central Washington, including Chelan and Douglas counties and the city of Leavenworth.

Nate is a self-described planning enthusiast and has a passion for sharing his expertise with the communities he serves and mentoring new planners in the field.

Outside of work, Nate enjoys historic reenactment activities and rescuing animals, having recently welcomed a new dog, Lily, into the “Pate Pack.”

 



Hannah Johnston
Hannah Johnston

As a part of the Housing Section, Hannah helps to evaluate local comprehensive plans, regulations, and incentives related to GMA housing implementation, focusing especially on planning for the lowest income segments.

Hannah is a recent graduate of Portland State University’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program, where her studies focused on long range land use planning and housing policy. She has previously worked on long range planning initiatives for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon; neighborhood plans and sustainability initiatives for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and community engaged research projects with the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University.

 



Courtney Williams
Courtney Williams

Please welcome Courtney Williams to the Housing Team in Growth Management Services. She will be providing technical assistance to jurisdictions on housing elements of comprehensive plans, supporting Coordinating Low-income Housing Planning (CLHIP) grant work and STEP work.

Courtney studied English and interned in Washington, D.C., and the state capitol as a student at the University of Maryland. She moved from New York to Seattle in 2020 to complete her master’s degree in public administration at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Most recently, she worked as an affordable housing policy analyst at King County.

Courtney enjoys cooking and going to the movies in the colder months, and loves to run, swim and hike when the sun comes out.



Beyond Commerce

EPA Puget Sound Program grants

The Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead [ [link removed] ] (HSIL) is offering two funding opportunities for Puget Sound recovery. HSIL RFPs during 2024 include funding for up to two-year projects that accelerate Puget Sound recovery by improving the health of the rivers, forests, shorelines, estuaries, and marine vegetation through advancing Habitat Implementation Strategy outcomes.

*Sea Level Rise and Climate Hazard Planning*


* Up to $ 1 million for coastal resiliency planning, including vulnerability assessments, adaption strategies

*Restoration Effectiveness of Soft Shore Alternatives*


* Up to $1 million to improve our understanding of soft shore design for habitat protection and restoration

Request for proposals solicitation, application materials, and additional resources, including opportunities for technical assistance, are available on the HSIL’s Request for Proposals webpage [ [link removed] ].

For questions regarding these funding opportunities, please contact HSIL RFP coordinators Matt Lurie <[email protected]> and Rebecca Brown <[email protected]>.

 

Department of Natural Resources
DNR Groundwater fact sheet

Ever wished you knew more about geologic mapping? Who hasn’t!? Great news: The Washington Geological Survey (WGS) released a new fact sheet about geologic mapping in Washington. Geologic maps show the types and ages of rocks and younger deposits that are found at or near the Earth's surface. Maps show map units, faults and folds, cross sections, and other regional or local features. Click to download the Geologic Planning Fact Sheet [ [link removed] ] and read more about surface geologic mapping on the WGS surface geology page. [ [link removed] ]

 



WSDOT
WSDOT success stories

The Washington State Department of Transportation is compiling success stories from rural and suburban cities and towns across the state demonstrating transportation-efficient strategies and projects. This data will be used to develop one-pagers to update the Transportation Efficient Communities [ [link removed] ] website, include in presentations and for training.

Success stories may include demonstrations of Complete Streets, improved network connectivity, transit-oriented development, reductions in vehicle miles traveled, public transportation improvements, and more. Non-urban examples are a particularly valuable resource for rural and suburban communities.

If you have any examples in mind, please share them with WSDOT via SurveyMonkey [ [link removed] ] by *Wednesday, July 31.*

 



Department of Ecology: Updated stormwater permits

After a multi-year engagement process, the Department of Ecology has updated municipal stormwater permits for the state’s most populous cities and counties. The permits include new requirements to ensure proper stormwater management as communities grow.

Read more about the new permits on Ecology’s website [ [link removed] ].

Upcoming Events

Periodic Update Workshop Series

*Register now for the virtual housing workshop!*

Commerce has kicked off a new periodic update workshop series to bring you comprehensive information and resources that support jurisdictions with periodic updates due in 2026, as required under the Growth Management Act (GMA) RCW 36.70A.130. The upcoming housing workshop will include:


* Overview of new housing element requirements, including allocating housing needs, identifying sufficient land capacity, making adequate provisions for deeply affordable housing, and addressing racially disparate impacts
* Overview of required code changes, including middle housing, ADUs, STEP, impact fees, and unit lot subdivision
* City of Pasco case study: new residential design standards, missing middle ordinances, housing action plan, and policy development

*When:  10 a.m.- 12 p.m., August 15*

 

Register [ [link removed] ]  (Zoom)

 

Each workshop will feature a different periodic update topic, including topics for jurisdictions that are partially planning under the GMA. Stay tuned to the periodic update webpage for more information and registration!

Questions? Contact Suzanne Austin at [email protected]

 

Regional Planners’ Forum

*Southwest*

The summer *Southwest Washington Planners’ Forum* will be from *9-11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 18, on Zoom.*

Topics covered will include:


* Public engagement with community-based organizations (CBOs)
* Planning for homeless individuals and lowest income households
* Racially disparate impacts

 

Register [ [link removed] ] (Zoom)

 

*Eastern*

The summer *Eastern Washington Planners’ Forum* will be from *9-11:30 a.m. on July 31 on Zoom.*

An agenda is forthcoming and will be published on the Planners’ Forums webpage [ [link removed] ].

 

Register [ [link removed] ] (Zoom)

Job opportunity

We have posted a position for a senior planner on our eastern regional team. Please forward this on to anyone that may be interested. You can find the job posting online on the Washington state job board [ [link removed] ].






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