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Committee hears split views on bill to streamline lot splits for middle housing
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony both for and against House Bill 1096, which would add lot splits to short‑plat/short‑subdivision rules to encourage middle housing. Supporters said the change could lower land costs and speed production of for‑sale units; opponents urged funding, implementation time, and stronger protections for critical areas.
Supporters and opponents of House Bill 1096 told the House Appropriations Committee that the proposal to add lot splits to short‑plat regulations could either expand affordable, entry‑level homeownership or risk undermining local environmental protections.
The bill would allow property owners in jurisdictions subject to the state's middle housing laws to split residential lots more easily, proponents said, creating additional for‑sale opportunities in places where land costs limit homeownership.
"Splitting lots will help reduce the cost of land acquisition, and that's one of our most significant barriers to affordable housing construction," Blake Baldwin, vice president of Hayden Homes, said in testimony. Baldwin said lot splits can turn projects that otherwise would be…
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