PLUSH debriefs what to expect locally, statewide for 2025 housing policy chats
Our PLUSH (Permitting, Land Use, Sustainability, and Housing) Committee put their policy hats on this last month, as we received a briefing from the Association of Washington Business and our Committee chair, Jessie Clawson, on upcoming housing discussions across the state.
Morgan Irwin, Government Affairs Director for AWB, provided a pre-legislative-session rundown of what to expect in Olympia, and Clawson gave a “What to Expect at City Hall This Week”-esque update for the group. Specifically, the City of Bellevue is up to adopt its amended Comp Plan, and the Committee recently submitted a letter regarding objective design, which you can read here.
As for Irwin, his state legislation predictions were as follows:
- On the topic of real estate excise tax (REET): “Expect to see bills similar to last year's HB 2276 and SB 6191 regarding REET,” he said. “Proposals to increase the lid limit on local tax increases from 1% to 3% annually, [and] proposals to bring school levies down to 50% or 55% approval threshold."
- Regarding rent control: “Expect a suite of bills around rent control. And when I say a suite, I mean more than a dozen. Probably less than 25, but there will be a bunch of opportunities to continue the conversation around rent stabilization or rent control in the 2025 session.”
- When it comes to the eviction process: “This backlog in the courts and difficulty in removing problem tenants creates safety issues for other tenants in the building.” Irwin also pointed out that even government-funded housing providers, like public housing authorities, have struggled to make their mortgage payments due to the challenges around evictions.