Bills passed during these sessions will have impacts to Gig Harbor and all other Washington State cities. This statement includes information regarding these new state requirements, what they mean for our City, and how you can get involved in their implementation.  

The State of Washington has a projected need of approximately 1.1 Million homes over the next 20-years. This is not just a Washington State based phenomenon. The entire country is experiencing this housing shortfall. Across the country, housing inventories are down, driving home prices up, making it more and more difficult for those seeking homeownership. In many places throughout the country, including Washington, population growth is outpacing housing growth.

During the Legislative Sessions in 2021 and 2023, a flurry of bills were introduced to address the issue of affordable housing in Washington State, that require local jurisdictions to change how they have traditionally planned for housing. 

The following is a review of the legislation that changed how Gig Harbor must address housing and what those changes might mean for the future of our community.

2021

HB 1220:  Amended the Growth Management Act to require jurisdictions to accommodate housing affordable to all income levels, including emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing.

Impact to Gig Harbor Establish programs and policies that allow for 892 new housing units to be constructed over the next twenty years; the majority of which must be affordable to moderate, low, very low and extremely low-income households.

2023

HB 1110:  Referred to as the “Middle Housing Bill,” requires cities with populations greater than 75,000 to allow middle housing (from duplexes to sixplexes) on all residential lots. Requirements for cities from 25,000 – 75,000 vary depending on distance to transit.

Impact to Gig Harbor:  None. Gig Harbor is exempt from the requirements of this bill; however we can expect similar legislation in the future, which may include smaller cities such as Gig Harbor.

HB 1337:  Requires cities to allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in their Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) with an associated reduction in certain regulations such as parking and impact fees.

Impact to Gig Harbor: By June 30, 2025, revise the Gig Harbor Municipal Code (GHMC) to implement the new ADU regulations. The legislation maintains protections for critical areas and properties lacking sewer infrastructure.

HB 5058: Exempts buildings with 12 or fewer units and no more than two stories from the definition of multiunit residential structure.

Impact to Gig Harbor:  The change will reduce building permitting processing time and costs

HB 1042 : Relaxes land use regulations for commercial and mixed use zoning, including housing density, parking requirements and design standards

Impact to Gig Harbor: By June 30, 2025, revise the GHMC to implement the new commercial and mixed-use regulations to comply with legislation.

HB 5412: Expands the infill development Categorical Exemption under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to include housing.

Impact to Gig Harbor: Certain residential development will be exempt from environmental review and the associated time and expense.

HB 1293: Modifies the design review process for the exterior design of new development, except for designate landmarks or certain historic districts. 

Impact to Gig Harbor: By June 30, 2025, review GHMC, including Design Manual, for compliance with the guidelines and revise as needed. Specifically, the design review process is required to be conducted concurrently with the decision process for project permits to reduce unnecessary delays.

Summary: 

While your elected officials – Mayor and City Council – did not create the new housing-related rules we must now follow, the City, with the assistance from our residents, must consider policies, strategies and codes that would implement them. The City is required to update its Comprehensive Plan by December 31, 2024 to be consistent with state law and the regional growth strategy of the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Vision 2050. As part of that effort, we must update our Housing Element which will be the vehicle for enacting many of these new housing policies.

What has the City done?

• Adopted 2021, 2022, and 2023 Legislative Agendas that sought to keep local planning control for Comprehensive Planning purposes.  Mayor, City Administrator, City Council, and our lobbyists worked tirelessly to voice concerns of small cities, like Gig Harbor.  This was successful in 2023, as many onerous housing requirements in the adopted HB 1110 will not apply to Gig Harbor.  
• Held a public joint meeting with the City Council and Planning Commission to review the new housing targets, very shortly after they were transmitted to us.  
• Created a robust public participation plan to engage with our community over these and other Comprehensive Plan topics.  Many opportunities to further collaborate with our community are planned over the next year and a half.  

What can you do?

We can understand our community’s frustration with this State-led top down approach to solving the housing crisis. We, both staff and elected officials are frustrated too. We have worked very hard on behalf of Gig Harbor’s residents and business owners to ensure our voices are heard and our desire to maintain some local control in these processes. We will continue to do so. You can help by participating in our Comprehensive Plan Update – assisting to determine which of the State selected housing strategies will work in Gig Harbor.  

What’s Next?

As we continue in our process to update the City’s Comprehensive Plan, housing will be a major focus along the way. We plan to hold public workshops that will be focused on housing in an effort to identify policy alternatives that will both satisfy the new state requirements and also meet the needs of our community. We will need your help and hope that you will get involved early and often. We will release information about these workshops and other public engagement opportunities as it becomes available on our project web site at: https://www.thecityofgigharbor.online/785/2044-Comprehensive-Plan-Update.