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Puget Sound housing mandate and HB2266: what Poulsbo council heard
Summary
City lobbyist briefed the council on House Bill 2266 (STEP housing), which requires jurisdictions in urban growth areas to allow several types of shelter and supportive housing and forces local comp-plan updates within two years; council members raised concerns about population thresholds and funding for implementation.
At a workshop on April 8, Poulsbo's city lobbyist summarized House Bill 2266 and its requirements for local planning and zoning. "This requires cities and planning counties within urban growth areas to allow transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, indoor emergency housing, and indoor emergency shelters in appropriate zones," Brian McConaughey told the council, adding that local comprehensive plans must be updated to incorporate the act within two years.
Councilmembers asked whether the bill included allowances for cities that recently updated comp plans; McConaughey said it did not and noted the bill carries a population threshold that currently does not apply to Poulsbo but could change in future sessions. He warned that the legislation provides no targeted funding to offset the added planning and implementation costs for smaller cities.
The council debated practical local impacts — including preserving downtown character and commercial vitality if ground-floor commercial requirements are removed — and discussed potential strategies such as historic/main-street designations and local engagement with legislators. No formal vote was taken; the presentation was framed as informational and a prompt for follow-up actions such as outreach to state representatives and review by planning staff.
