Developers, nonprofits and architects tell Senate panel that high costs, slow permitting and financing gaps are blocking housing production

At a work session during the Senate Housing Committee's first meeting of the 2025 legislative session, a series of developers, nonprofit housing providers and architects described how long timelines, rising input costs and capital constraints are limiting new housing production across Washington.

The presenters told committee members the supply side of housing — land sourcing, entitlements, permitting, financing and construction — can take four to seven years and that the combination of higher interest rates, rising construction and insurance costs, and higher local fees is making many projects financially infeasible.

Why it matters: Lawmakers said the state needs more housing across price points. Witnesses linked housing scarcity to specific, changeable policy levers: zoning and upzoning to increase developable land, permit-review reforms to shorten timelines, tax and fee policies (including multifamily tax exemptions and local impact fees), and targeted capital programs for nonprofits.

Highlights from presenters

- Development lifecycle and economics: Carl Charette, a multifamily developer with AvalonBay Communities, walked the committee through the typical life cycle from land acquisition to stabilization, noting projects commonly take "a little bit over 5 years" from concept to completion. Charette said "real estate development is a is a formula. It's a math equation," and warned that…