OLYMPIA — New polling suggests a majority of Washingtonians support changing zoning laws to allow more duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings.
That information comes as the Washington Legislature pushes along proposals to make cities allow multifamily housing on more residential lots.
The poll surveyed 613 Washington voters. It was commissioned by sustainability think tank Sightline Institute and conducted by FM3 and New Bridge Strategy.
With a margin of error of 4 percentage points, the poll found 71% of respondents would support a proposal to do away with local zoning laws that allow exclusively single-family housing in cities with more than 6,000 people.
“Over the years, there’s just been this kind of impression created, I think, among local electeds that their constituents really hate this kind of idea of loosening single-family zoning to allow more housing,” said Dan Bertolet, director of the Sightline Institute’s housing and urbanism program. “What the poll shows, though, is that those attitudes are inaccurate.”
When asked if they would support a measure if it meant a duplex or triplex could be built in their neighborhood, 68% of respondents said they would. Sixty-one percent said they would support it if it meant a duplex or triplex could be built next door.
House Bill 1110 and its companion Senate Bill 5190 advanced out of policy committees this week.
The initial bill would have required cities of 6,000 or more people to let at least four units on lots zoned for residential use.
The current version has raised the bar some.
If passed as is, cities between 25,000 and 75,000 people will have to allow two units per lot, or four units if that lot is within a half-mile of a major transit stop or community amenity, like a park, or if the development meets certain affordability requirements.
Cities with a population of at least 75,000, or cities near major population centers, would have to allow at least four or six units.
Pollsters also asked about the factors respondents believed led to higher housing costs in Washington. Seventy-two percent of respondents said a shortage of housing pushed up prices due to people competing.
Lawmakers are trying to tackle the housing crisis from multiple angles this legislative session, including proposals to streamline permitting and stabilize rent prices.
