Committee hears split testimony on bill to allow housing in commercial zones

Senators and witnesses told the House Local Government Committee on Feb. 20 that Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6,026 would unlock underused commercial corridors for housing, but city officials warned the measure could weaken neighborhood retail and require substantial local implementation work.

Sen. Emily Alvarado, the bill's prime sponsor, said the measure aims to "make it easier to build the housing that our state and communities need" by legalizing residential uses in many commercial and mixed‑use zones and by limiting local requirements that mandate ground‑floor commercial space. Alvarado told the committee the bill includes a range of exemptions for areas that the sponsor said are important for placemaking, including transit‑oriented station areas, business improvement areas, historic properties and main streets, and tax incremental financing zones. She also described a pathway for a jurisdiction to seek a blanket exemption after completing an empirical study tied to its next comprehensive plan update.

The bill text, as briefed by Kellen Ryan of committee staff, would prohibit cities planning under the Growth Management Act with populations of 30,000 or more (and non‑rural…