Jessica Bateman — Referenced as the Chair who is presiding over the committee.
Jessica Bateman — Addressed as Madam Chair.
Jessica Bateman — Included among the members thanked for their work on housing.
Jessica Bateman — Addressed as Chair Bateman.
Jessica Bateman — Addressed as Chair Bateman by Steve Walker at the start of testimony.
Jessica Bateman — The Chair asks for questions or comments from committee members.
Jessica Bateman — The Chair thanks the presenters, praises their outreach work, and adjourns the committee.
HB1491 — Cited as one of the state laws related to transit-oriented development passed this year.
HB1491 — HB 1491 is discussed as a land-use and transit-oriented development bill with multiple related provisions and consequences. The speaker references it as the recent policy effort behind transit-oriented development, noting that it included property tax exemptions, MFTE changes, and reductions to transportation impact fees, which could affect community revenue and transportation funding. The discussion then turns to the bill’s infrastructure and density provisions, including Section 4’s unfunded infrastructure program, average density requirements for station areas, and comparisons to higher-density standards in California and British Columbia. The speaker also notes that HB 1491 pilots a model requiring Sound Transit to explore joint development at three BRT park-and-ride areas and explains that the bill uses county-level AMI calculations for projects.
HB1491 — Referenced as the bill being implemented and containing provisions on station-area geography.
Jesse Salomon — Asked whether a tracking mechanism had been in the bill and whether it was removed at the end.
Jesse Salomon — Jesse Salomon is addressed in a light, joking exchange in which a speaker asks whether this is what he does in his free time, prompting a humorous response.
Jesse Salomon — He was identified as the last questioner.
Jesse Salomon — Jesse Salomon gave a heads-up that he plans to introduce a bill to reduce elevator size by 20% and suggested it could be considered alongside the single-stair bill. He then followed up by asking whether that elevator-size proposal would be easier to move forward because of the work already done on the related issue.
Tina Orwall — Tina Orwall is introduced as the next senator to speak and then discusses her South King County perspective, referencing TOD projects and asking how AMI is calculated for high-need communities, noting the challenge of filling 60% AMI units.
Keith Goehner — Senator Keith Goehner is introduced in the question sequence and then continues with substantive questions about the presentation, asking the committee to consider the full context, including a statement about immigration and demand. He follows up by asking for more detail on the developers who were consulted and says he wants to better understand the impediments preventing people from making investments.
Keith Goehner — Addressed as Ranking Member Goehner.
Keith Goehner — Keith Goehner was called on and then asked James a question about the economics of the Highway 99 example.
Keith Goehner — Identified as the Ranking Member and as the senator asking questions.
Keith Goehner — As Ranking Member, he asks about housing code costs and diminishing returns.
Keith Goehner — Senator Keith Goehner asks follow-up questions about the program, focusing on whether loan amounts are capped at $150,000, what range of home prices can be financed, and who is unable to access the program. The exchange also includes a brief mis-transcribed reference to his name as "Senator Gaynor."
Emily Alvarado — Asked about rising construction costs, cost of capital, and how quickly feasibility changes can occur.
Emily Alvarado — Emily Alvarado is repeatedly referenced as being far along on the issue and as Vice Chair Alvarado, with speakers emphasizing that the Lieutenant Governor also noted her progress. The discussion continues by praising her work on policy related to allowing residential construction on commercial properties and commercial-to-residential housing, framing her as actively advancing this housing policy area.
Emily Alvarado — The speaker encouraged coordination with her as the prime sponsor of another related bill.
Emily Alvarado — Asked about current apartment vacancy rates and followed up on the presentation.
Dave Anderson — Dave Anderson, managing director of the Growth Management Program at the State Department of Commerce, introduced himself and said he was there to provide an update on the implementation of 1491.
Melissa — Melissa was thanked for helping with the presentation setup.
Dave — Said he was open to a question.
James Rolf — James Rolf is introduced as the Lieutenant Governor's director of policy and international relations and the principal author/researcher for the report, then he takes the microphone and introduces himself to the committee as being from the Lieutenant Governor's office.
Chris Gildon — Chris Gildon was invited to ask a question and then raised a question about potential pitfalls or risks in the proposal, acknowledging its benefits while seeking clarification on possible downsides.
Peter Calthorpe — He was identified as the person who could speak to the technical details of whether projects pencil out.
Todd Byruther — He introduced himself as being from Spokane District 3 and present with the State Building Code Council.
Dustin Kerb — Identified as the managing director present in person.
Roger Arringa — Identified as participating online.
Jay Arnold — Identified as participating online as vice chair and deputy mayor of Kirkland.
Tom Handy — Identified as the legislative committee chair and Whitman County Commissioner.
Roger Heringa — Roger Heringa, speaking as the technical lead, was invited to explain the committee's work on single-exit and multiplex housing and clarified that the committee has not changed elevator requirements except to require pressurized elevator shafts.
Dr. Stephen Barrosa — Dr. Stephen Barrosa presented a continuous analysis of Washington’s housing market, explaining that rising mortgage interest rates have made homeownership less affordable and that current rates are closer to long-term historical norms than the unusually low rates of the prior decade. He argued that higher rates have slowed house-price growth, dampened activity by affecting both buyers and sellers, and limited purchases because of high monthly payments. He then compared affordability across Washington’s largest cities, noting that prices have been mostly flat in the six largest cities but affordability has worsened in places like Bellingham and Seattle. Barrosa also addressed the homeownership rate, saying Washington’s rate has remained roughly stable from 2016 to 2024 and comparing it with other states, including Oregon, California, Idaho, Texas, and the national average. He added that first-time buyers are older on average, likely reflecting broader trends in Washington, and concluded by citing declines in permitting activity and completions, along with multifamily permit data showing increased apartment demand in 2021 and 2022.
Dr. Barrosa — Thanked for the presentation and invited to share more information offline.
Steve Walker — Steve Walker is introduced and then identifies himself as the executive director of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, in the context of an upcoming discussion on the Covenant Home Ownership Act/Program.
Lisa DeBrock — Lisa DeBrock, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s director of homeownership, is introduced as a co-presenter and then handed the floor to provide details on the Covenant Down Payment Assistance Program. She begins her remarks by greeting the audience and stating that she will give a quick overview of how the program works and its terms.