The bill addresses Washington's housing crisis by promoting the construction of detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in rural areas, recognizing the need for an additional 1.1 million homes by 2044. It allows counties to authorize the development of ADUs on any size lot, overriding existing comprehensive plans or policies that may prohibit such developments. The legislation includes requirements for water usage, sewage system capacity, and design standards to ensure compatibility with primary dwellings. Additionally, it clarifies definitions related to ADUs and establishes that population growth from these units will not count towards rural or urban growth targets, requiring counties to update their comprehensive plans accordingly.

Furthermore, the bill mandates that counties and cities review and revise their comprehensive plans to accommodate projected urban growth over a 20-year period, ensuring that changes do not increase the total surface area of urban growth areas or include critical lands. It introduces new requirements for counties permitting ADUs, emphasizing collaboration in planning policies and including provisions for federal and tribal participation. The bill also specifies that multicounty planning policies must be adopted by counties with populations of 450,000 or more, and it requires amendments to align with the new provisions regarding ADUs, ensuring that any population growth from these units is excluded from growth target assessments.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 36.70A.696, 36.70A.177, 36.70A.210