Senate Commerce Committee hears wide-ranging debate over SB 418 'by right' housing bill

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 418, a proposal the bill text calls the Buy Right Housing Development Act, which would create an approval-by-right pathway for qualifying single-family homes, townhouses and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and impose a 15-day timeline for agency action. Amelia Kovar Donahue, assistant reviser, summarized five main components: by-right approval for qualifying developments, optional third-party review if local authorities fail to act in 15 days, mandated allowances for certain building provisions for single-family residences under 3,000 square feet, an exemption from certain protest-petition provisions for owner-initiated single-family rezoning, and a statutory provision treating land within city limits as zoned for single-family residential use in addition to other zoning.