Broad housing reform bill SB 974 draws sharp support and opposition over scope of streamlined approvals

The Senate Committee on Housing and Development held an extended public hearing Feb. 27 on Senate Bill 974 (dash 1), a package of changes aimed at accelerating housing approvals inside urban growth boundaries and limiting some local review processes.

Senator **** Anderson, the bill sponsor, said the bill builds on prior housing legislation and the governor’s housing goals and seeks to “reduce those barriers, streamline the approval process, and incentivize housing development within our urban growth boundaries.” He told the committee stakeholders had worked with his staff and that a dash‑2 amendment was being drafted to address local government concerns.

Key measures in the dash‑1 amendment, as described by proponents and sponsors, include reclassifying “urban housing applications” as limited land‑use decisions, creating a 120‑day deadline for final engineering and final plat approvals, narrowing some design‑review requirements and authorizing reimbursement of prevailing applicants’ attorney and engineering fees when appeals are overturned. Proponents said these changes would curtail frivolous…