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Senate approves bill to allow housing in commercial and mixed‑use zones after heated debate over local control
Summary
The Washington State Senate passed Senate Bill 6026, which allows housing in certain commercial and mixed‑use zones and includes narrowly tailored exemptions and amendments. Lawmakers clashed over local control, exemptions for historic areas and counting amenity space as commercial.
Senate Bill 6026, a measure to legalize housing in specified commercial and mixed‑use zones, passed the Washington State Senate after extended debate and multiple amendments.
Senator T. Alvarado urged colleagues to approve the measure, saying it would "unlock" underused parcels — vacant strip malls and empty storefronts — for housing and ease cost pressures on families and the economy. Alvarado said the bill preserves pedestrian‑friendly areas through targeted exemptions for business improvement areas, transit areas, main streets and historic properties.
Opponents framed…
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