Senator Mike Chapman reports on measures advanced by Democrats for affordable housing in the 2026 State Legislature session

​“We did a lot in the Housing space again this year!” – State Senator Mike Chapman

Housing Principles
Every Washingtonian needs a home, but for too many the opportunity to afford their mortgage or rent is out of reach. That’s why we’ve focused so much attention on increasing the supply of housing to drive down the costs for everyone. We must continue to cut red tape for builders, find new and creative ways to build housing, and champion ideas like rent stabilization to continue to make the cost of housing more affordable and predictable for all Washington families. 

Housing bills

• We changed zoning laws to open up more land to build housing such as apartments and condos
  SB 6026 (Alvarado) Unlocks underutilized commercial land by rezoning many of these areas to residential and allowing local governments to determine where ground-floor retail requirements should apply. This helps address the housing shortage by using land that is already urban, already served by infrastructure, and currently underused, while maintaining local flexibility to respond to market conditions.
  
  
• We ensured that renters get the same notice and warning about known flood risks that homebuyers get
  SB 6237 (Bateman) Ensures renters get the same notice and warning about known flood risks that someone buying a home does. Current state law already requires home sellers to disclose known material facts about the property to the buyer, including whether it’s located in a designated flood hazard zone or has experienced prior flooding. There are more than a million renters in our state, and they should have access to the same information as homeowners.
  
  
• We cut red tape to streamline and speed up permitting for local housing development
  HB 2418 (Duerr) Streamlines and speeds up permitting for local housing development, cutting red tape and lowering costs to build. That means we can build housing more cheaply and have more affordable options for families.
  
  SB 6027 (Alvarado) Preserves existing permanent and supportive housing by expanding allowable uses of local housing-related sales tax programs to support operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation instead of primarily new construction. It also updates a Department of Commerce program that helps cover operating costs for housing serving Washingtonians with the highest level of need.
  
  HB 2266 (Peterson) Helps ensure shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing can be built more predictably by requiring cities and counties within urban growth areas to allow these housing types wherever residential housing or hotels are allowed, subject to the same zoning standards. The bill also limits discretionary permitting barriers while allowing local governments to negotiate reasonable health and safety protocols when they contribute land or funding to a project.
  
  SB 5156 (Salomon) Makes it easier to build small apartment buildings by allowing smaller elevators that still meet accessibility requirements. The bill directs the State Building Code Council to update elevator standards through the next building code cycle in 2027.This bill creates more access and more affordability while ensuring safety for fire and rescue workers.
  
  HB 1687 (Reed) Allows local governments to streamline and waive red tape and requirements for mixed-income and affordable housing projects being built by a social housing developer. There’s currently only one of these social housing developers, in Seattle, and this will help them build needed housing more quickly and at a more affordable cost.
  
  HB 1859 (Salahuddin) Supports religious organizations that want to build affordable housing for low- and very low-income families on their land by allowing mixed-income projects to qualify for a density bonus while maintaining long-term affordability requirements.
  
  HB 1974 (Hill) Allows cities and counties to establish land banks that can acquire and hold land until housing projects are ready to move forward. Land banks can prioritize tax-foreclosed properties for housing, helping convert underused land into mixed-income homes with long-term affordability.

Affordable housing and homelessness prevention in the budget
The budget builds upon the record-setting investment into affordable housing and homelessness prevention in the 2025-27 budget with an additional $200 million in housing and homelessness funding, including $123 million for the Housing Trust Fund, supporting affordable housing projects across Washington.

Supplemental Capital (SB 6003) includes affordable housing investments
The $889 million bipartisan capital budget funds construction projects and infrastructure across Washington and makes major investments in school construction, affordable housing, flood response and prevention, and more. It creates jobs and builds real, tangible benefits that people across the state can see, touch, and feel.