Committee hears testimony on HB 1212 to require cities to allow childcare centers in most zones

The Local Government Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1212, which would require cities and towns to allow childcare centers as an outright permitted use in all zones except industrial zones and to adopt related ordinance changes within specified timelines. The hearing included a staff bill briefing, a written statement read for the absent sponsor, and several supportive testimony from advocacy groups and providers.

Elizabeth Allison, staff to the committee, summarized the bill and the key implementation deadlines: cities must allow childcare centers as outright permitted uses in all zones except industrial zones; cities may impose reasonable permit restrictions; and jurisdictions must incorporate the requirement by ordinance no later than one year after their next comprehensive plan update or within one year of the act's effective date if a jurisdiction is not planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA). Allison said the provision aims to change how local zoning regulates the siting of childcare centers.

A statement read on behalf of Representative Alvarado described the statewide context and rationale for the bill. The statement said 63% of Washington residents live in a "childcare desert," defined in the statement as census tracts with more than three times as many children as licensed childcare slots, and said zoning and permitting barriers add time, expense and uncertainty to childcare projects. The statement cited guidance from the American Planning Association encouraging removal of zoning barriers to childcare and named local jurisdictions (Lakewood, Seattle and Walla Walla) that have taken steps to ease siting.

Testimony supporting the bill came from multiple sources. Bryce Yaden, representing FutureWise, said the bill would allow childcare facilities to be located in neighborhoods where families could walk to them and would expand options for culturally appropriate family- and group-based care. Carl Schroeder of the Association of Washington Cities expressed support but asked the committee to consider clarifying which zones are incompatible (for example, open-space or light industrial) and to reconsider the implementation timeline; he noted that, in the Puget Sound region, the next periodic comprehensive-plan update could be as much as 10 years away.

A provider, Stephanie Smith, described permitting as the single greatest barrier her program faced after losing a facility in 2016. Smith said an investment of about $50,000 created 47 licensed slots in a reused church building, but long-term occupancy was blocked by conditional-use-permit processes, forcing the program to close that location. She said a later relocation required nearly $4.5 million in combined public and private funding (an "almost $1,000,000" grant and about $3,500,000 private dollars), and that the regulatory delay meant community slots were lost while demand and wait lists persisted.

Rachel Mazur, a Seattle land-use attorney testifying in her personal capacity, supported the bill and cited Department of Commerce findings presented in the hearing: a two‑child household can spend about 35% of income on childcare and in 2020 seventy-one percent of parents reported childcare availability affected their ability to work. Mazur said the bill would remove zoning barriers that prevent developers from including childcare in new projects.

Speakers and stakeholders suggested follow-up items for the committee, including clearer language about which zones are considered "incompatible" with childcare, and reconsideration of the adoption timeline so jurisdictions in the Puget Sound planning region do not face a decade-long delay. The committee closed the hearing on HB 1212 and moved to the next bill on the agenda.