Tag Archives: Trees and Housing

`Washington State Legislative Bills affecting trees and urban forests

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Washington Legislative Bills Affecting Trees and Housing Week Jan 18 – 22, 2024

Basic information on Legislative information links courtesy of Ruth Williams:

Legislature home page: https://leg.wa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Bills home page: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/

House home page: https://leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/default.aspx

Senate home page: https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Pages/default.aspx

Legislative committees home page: https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/CommitteeListing.aspx

Comment on a bill: https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/BillCommentsHelp.aspx

Search & Tracking Tools

Bills By Topic Find bills by subject as organized in the Topical Index prepared by the Code Reviser’s Office.
Past biennial: 2021-22, 2019-20, 2017-18

Bill Tracking Create personalized lists of bills you wish to track through the 2023-24 legislative process.

Search (Documents) Search documents from the current year, back to 1985 and current web pages using search criteria & term

Click on the bill links for more information, including bill text and summary of bills.

Bills in action this week: Jan 18 -22, 2024

HB 2321 – Modifying middle housing requirements and the definitions of transit stops

Monday Jan 22 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Housing at 1:30 PM (Subject to change). (Committee Materials)

Thursday Jan 25 Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Housing at 8:00 AM (Subject to change). (Committee Materials)

Sign in to comment and /or testify on this bill. To testify you must sign up by 12:30 – one hour before the hearing starts. You can comment on the bill up to 24 hours after the hearing starts. This bill is a revision of HB 1110

emails – housing Committee members – strom.peterson@leg.wa.gov, emily.alvarado@leg.wa.gov, mari.leavitt@leg.wa.gov,

jessica.bateman@leg.wa.gov, frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov,

debra.entenman@leg.wa.gov, julia.reed@leg.wa.gov,

mark.klicker@leg.wa.gov, april.connors@leg.wa.gov,

andrew.barkis@leg.wa.gov, spencer.hutchins@leg.wa.gov, sam.low@leg.wa.gov

Recommended comments:

Support removal of “((to ensure compliance with existing ordinances intended to protect critical areas and public health and safety)) which weakened tree protection in HB 1110.
P 13 line 9 amend to read as follows – “tree canopy and retention, protection and planting.”
P 14, Under Section 2 (8) The provisions of this section do not apply to : Remove Line 20-21 (d) A lot that was created through the splitting of a single residential lots This language would void complying with local tree canopy retention, protection and planting ordinances.
This is a big loophole as many lots are being split in Seattle and elsewhere. House bill 1245 now in the Senate on lot splitting does not exempt lot splitting from complying with local ordinances for protecting trees and urban forests. Trees are needed to keep neighborhoods healthy, climate resilient and environmentally equitable,

HB 1078 – Concerning urban forest management ordinances.

Thursday Jan 25th 4 PM – Scheduled for a public hearing in House Appropriations Committee,

Suggested Comments – Sign in pro on bill with amendments to ensure replanted trees are maintained and watered for 5 years. In Lieu fees are essential so as not to remove public benefits of trees and put replacement burden on all taxpayers, instead of those removing the trees. Require that cities strive to maintain as many existing trees on developed sites as possible as it takes decades for new large trees to grow. We do not want to create new heat islands by clearcutting lots. Add street trees as a requirement for all lots being developed and maximize the retention of existing trees on lots. The climate crisis is r.eal, and we need to keep all of our neighborhoods and the people who live there healthy.

Bill was originally proposed for establishing tree banks off site for trees removed and is now bill asking DNR to come up with draft legislation.

Sponsors: Duerr, Doglio, Simmons, Reed, Ryu, Walen, Ramel, Macri, Reeves, Kloba

HB 2113 – Concerning compliance with the housing element requirements of the growth management act.

Wed. Jan 23 – Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Housing at 4:00 PM (Subject to change). (Committee Materials)

Comments can be sent to Housing Committee prior to their voting.

Housing Committee members e-mails:

strom.peterson@leg.wa.gov, emily.alvarado@leg.wa.gov, mari.leavitt@leg.wa.gov,

jessica.bateman@leg.wa.gov, frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov,

debra.entenman@leg.wa.gov, julia.reed@leg.wa.gov,

mark.klicker@leg.wa.gov, april.connors@leg.wa.gov,

andrew.barkis@leg.wa.gov, spencer.hutchins@leg.wa.gov, sam.low@leg.wa.gov

Jan 15 – Public hearing in the House Committee on Housing at 1:30 PM. (Committee Materials)

Jan 18 – Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Housing at 8:00 AM. (Committee Materials)

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HB 2160 – Promoting community and transit-oriented housing development.

Sponsors: Reed, Fey, Mena, Alvarado, Berry, Bateman, Ormsby, Ramel, Macri, Street, Peterson, Gregerson, Ryu, Cortes, Riccelli, Doglio, Pollet

Capital Budget Committee – Tharinger,Callan, Hackney, Abbarno, McClintock, Steele, Alvardo, Bateman, Cheney, Christian, Dye, Eslick, Farivar,Fosse, Kloba< Kretz, Leavitt, Maycumber, McIntire, Morgan, Mosebrucker, Orwell, Peerson, Reed, Rule, Sandlin, Shavers, Srearns, Waters

Thursday Jan 25 – Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Capital Budget at 1:30 PM (Subject to change). (Committee Materials)

Recommended Comments – HB 2160 as currently written needs amendments to both make sure transit is accessible for pedestrians and that transit areas are not clearcut of trees and become new heat islands in our cities. Trees are important for public health and livable communities. Transit areas must be safe to walk for people to reach public transit.

Require sidewalks and walkways in station areas to make transit accessible so that people are not walking in the street and competing with car traffic. Many areas in our cities have no sidewalks.
Require street trees be planted to not create new heat islands in our cities. Help make our cities more climate resilient.
Allow increased height on buildings if trees are retained on building lots.
Require that trees removed be replaced on site with comparable sized trees at maturity or in other parts of a city with low tree canopy to increase environmental equity and climate resilience. Require fee in lieu payments for removed trees like Seattle and Portland Oregon do for replanting off site trees to pay for replacement costs and watering and maintenance to establish the trees.
Urge use of impact fees for sidewalks and pocket parks
Require adequate infrastructure for utilities like water and sewer before building projects are approved
Please amend HB 2160 and then vote yes to allow more housing near transit and to connect communities.

Additional bills being watched:

HB 1245 – Increasing housing options through lot splitting.

Sponsors: Barkis, Robertson, Wylie, Fitzgibbon, Peterson, Walsh, Chambers, Kloba, Gregerson, Graham, Waters, Reed, Walen, Christian, Riccelli, Macri, Bateman, Doglio

Jan 8 By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on third reading.

Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.

Third reading, passed; yeas, 94; nays, 4; absent, 0; excused, 0. (View Roll Calls)

IN THE SENATE

Jan 10 – First reading, referred to Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs.

Companion Bill: SB 5364 -Increasing housing options through lot splitting.

Sponsors: Frame, Gildon, Liias, Nguyen, Saldaña, Shewmake, Torres, Van De Wege, Wilson, C.

HB 2071 Concerning residential housing regulations.

Sponsors: Duerr, Bateman, Fitzgibbon, Berry, Reed, Ormsby, Ramel, Pollet, Kloba

Jan 8 First reading, referred to Housing. (View Original Bill)

Jan 15 Public hearing in the House Committee on Housing at 1:30 PM. (Committee Materials)

Jan 18 Executive action taken in the House Committee on Housing at 8:00 AM. (Committee Materials)

Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. (View 1st Substitute) (Majority Report)

SB 6024 – Promoting community and transit-oriented housing development.

Sponsors: Trudeau, Saldaña, Frame, Kuderer, Lovelett, Lovick, Nguyen, Nobles, Valdez, Wilson, C.

Companion Bill: HB 2160

Jan 8 – First reading, referred to Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs. (View Original Bill)

Jan 11 – Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs at 10:30 AM. (Committee Materials)

SB 6061 – Concerning exemptions for housing development under the state environmental policy act.

Sponsors: Lovelett, Salomon

Jan 9 – First reading, referred to Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs. (View Original Bill)

Jan 16 – Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs at 8:00 AM. (Committee Materials)

HB 1735 – Adding net ecological gain as a voluntary element of comprehensive plans under the growth management act.

Sponsors: Lekanoff, Fitzgibbon, Ramel, Pollet, Macri

Jan 8 – By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

HB 1347 – Integrating community-based health assessments into foundational environmental policies to improve environmental justice.

Sponsors: Pollet, Lekanoff, Berry, Ramel, Kloba, Slatter, Ryu, Taylor, Doglio

Jan 8 – By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

HB 1381 – Concerning salmon-safe communities.

Sponsors: Dye, Lekanoff, Pollet

Jan 8 – By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

Rules Committee relieved of further consideration.

Referred to Environment & Energy.

HB 1517 – Promoting transit-oriented development.

Sponsors: Reed, Taylor, Ramel, Berg, Peterson, Stonier, Walen, Wylie, Simmons, Fitzgibbon, Chapman, Berry, Slatter, Mena, Barkis, Rule, Duerr, Gregerson, Chambers, Bateman, Cortes, Doglio, Pollet, Low, Fosse, Tharinger

Jan 8 – By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

Big trees and more housing – we can and should have more.

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Sandy Shettler – Comment on EIS Scoping process for updating One Seattle Comprehensive Plan

We need every option in the One Seattle survey to include protection and support for urban trees. Countless studies have clearly established that urban trees give us cleaner air, cooler summers, and better outcomes on every measurable public health metric. Neighborhoods that lack trees can feel dystopian regardless of density. Conversely, neighborhoods with big trees create a sense of place, serenity and community even if extremely dense. Cohesive, canopied communities like these encourage people to put down roots in urban neighborhoods. People choosing to stay long-term in livable neighborhoods will help Seattle meet regional goals on growth management and transportation emissions.

We can create these rooted neighborhoods by thoughtfully developing around existing big trees. Big trees are valuable because their sheer size enables them to provide the ecosystem and public health benefits we need right now. Developers know how to preserve large trees through creative design and partnering with arborists to ensure trees remain healthy through the construction process. Local government can help with financial incentives to preserve and care for trees (“treebates”) as well as design flexibility for incorporating trees. Together with a stronger tree protection ordinance, programs like these would help remove incentives for developers to clearcut lots, and make tree retention the norm.

We also need to invest in our future urban forest by planting trees now. Seattle’s historically lax tree protection has stripped trees from all parts of the city, but especially in lower-income communities where people can’t afford AC needed to mitigate heat. Our comprehensive plan should right this historical wrong and plan for a future where everyone can live among big trees and enjoy the health and connection to nature they provide.