Dan Bertolet
@danbertolet.bsky.social
I think it's good when cities are legal, and I work at Sightline Institute to make that happen. My takes on here, though, are no less than 100% mine.
WA's bill to allow housing in commericial zones SB 6026 passed the Senate today 36 -12.
It's a good housing abundance bill that could be even better if it didn't exempt so much land from its provision to make ground floor commercial optional.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
It's a good housing abundance bill that could be even better if it didn't exempt so much land from its provision to make ground floor commercial optional.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
February 14, 2026 at 1:19 AM
WA's bill to allow housing in commericial zones SB 6026 passed the Senate today 36 -12.
It's a good housing abundance bill that could be even better if it didn't exempt so much land from its provision to make ground floor commercial optional.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
It's a good housing abundance bill that could be even better if it didn't exempt so much land from its provision to make ground floor commercial optional.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
WA's elevator bill SB 5156 passed the Senate today, 41 - 7.
It instructs state agencies to:
- allow smaller elevators in buildings up to 6 stories and 24 units
- consider harmonization with global standards
- assess other cost tradeoffs
On to the House!
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
It instructs state agencies to:
- allow smaller elevators in buildings up to 6 stories and 24 units
- consider harmonization with global standards
- assess other cost tradeoffs
On to the House!
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
February 14, 2026 at 12:13 AM
WA's elevator bill SB 5156 passed the Senate today, 41 - 7.
It instructs state agencies to:
- allow smaller elevators in buildings up to 6 stories and 24 units
- consider harmonization with global standards
- assess other cost tradeoffs
On to the House!
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
It instructs state agencies to:
- allow smaller elevators in buildings up to 6 stories and 24 units
- consider harmonization with global standards
- assess other cost tradeoffs
On to the House!
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
Some long overdue recognition for Seattle's unmatched success on smart growth.
"Sightline finds that in the twenty-first century, no large metro area in the United States has been better at adding people to already-populated places than Seattle."
www.sightline.org/seattle-a-mo...
"Sightline finds that in the twenty-first century, no large metro area in the United States has been better at adding people to already-populated places than Seattle."
www.sightline.org/seattle-a-mo...
February 13, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Some long overdue recognition for Seattle's unmatched success on smart growth.
"Sightline finds that in the twenty-first century, no large metro area in the United States has been better at adding people to already-populated places than Seattle."
www.sightline.org/seattle-a-mo...
"Sightline finds that in the twenty-first century, no large metro area in the United States has been better at adding people to already-populated places than Seattle."
www.sightline.org/seattle-a-mo...
Good things happen when we let people choose to live closer to each other.
www.sightline.org/2026/02/12/s...
www.sightline.org/2026/02/12/s...
Seattle’s No-Cost Emissions Cut | Sightline Institute
The climate benefits of urban neighborhoods, all for the low price of letting people live where they want.
www.sightline.org
February 13, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Good things happen when we let people choose to live closer to each other.
www.sightline.org/2026/02/12/s...
www.sightline.org/2026/02/12/s...
KUOW story includes a quote that explains why @sightline.org has been working on HB 1443 to allow mobile dwellings on house lots:
"It is absolutely by far the least expensive, the easiest, the cheapest, and the quickest form of housing possible in the United States."
www.kuow.org/stories/prop...
"It is absolutely by far the least expensive, the easiest, the cheapest, and the quickest form of housing possible in the United States."
www.kuow.org/stories/prop...
This bill could let you downsize your way to home ownership in Washington
Washington state legislators want to let people live in tiny homes and RVs in backyards and driveways year round.
If their bill passes, it could unlock the least expensive path to homeownership availa...
www.kuow.org
February 11, 2026 at 8:35 PM
KUOW story includes a quote that explains why @sightline.org has been working on HB 1443 to allow mobile dwellings on house lots:
"It is absolutely by far the least expensive, the easiest, the cheapest, and the quickest form of housing possible in the United States."
www.kuow.org/stories/prop...
"It is absolutely by far the least expensive, the easiest, the cheapest, and the quickest form of housing possible in the United States."
www.kuow.org/stories/prop...
Another today:
HB 2304 passed the House 94 - 0!
It's a small but key fix to last year's HB 1403 that extends the allowance for the use of 2-10 express warranties to cover liability on condo construction up to four stories and 12 units.
Thank you Rep. Taylor!
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
HB 2304 passed the House 94 - 0!
It's a small but key fix to last year's HB 1403 that extends the allowance for the use of 2-10 express warranties to cover liability on condo construction up to four stories and 12 units.
Thank you Rep. Taylor!
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
HB 2304 Washington State Legislature
app.leg.wa.gov
February 10, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Another today:
HB 2304 passed the House 94 - 0!
It's a small but key fix to last year's HB 1403 that extends the allowance for the use of 2-10 express warranties to cover liability on condo construction up to four stories and 12 units.
Thank you Rep. Taylor!
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
HB 2304 passed the House 94 - 0!
It's a small but key fix to last year's HB 1403 that extends the allowance for the use of 2-10 express warranties to cover liability on condo construction up to four stories and 12 units.
Thank you Rep. Taylor!
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
WA bill HB 2228 to allow scissor stairs passed the House today, 95 - 0!
Thank you Rep. Zahn!
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
Thank you Rep. Zahn!
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
HB 2228 Washington State Legislature
app.leg.wa.gov
February 10, 2026 at 11:27 PM
WA bill HB 2228 to allow scissor stairs passed the House today, 95 - 0!
Thank you Rep. Zahn!
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
Thank you Rep. Zahn!
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
Last year WA ran the nation's first state bill for elevator code reform, SB 5156, and it's back for another try this year.
This year WA is also running the nation's first state bill to allow scissor stairs, HB 2228.
In 2023, WA passed the nation's first single-stair bill, SB 5491.
Just sayin
This year WA is also running the nation's first state bill to allow scissor stairs, HB 2228.
In 2023, WA passed the nation's first single-stair bill, SB 5491.
Just sayin
February 10, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Last year WA ran the nation's first state bill for elevator code reform, SB 5156, and it's back for another try this year.
This year WA is also running the nation's first state bill to allow scissor stairs, HB 2228.
In 2023, WA passed the nation's first single-stair bill, SB 5491.
Just sayin
This year WA is also running the nation's first state bill to allow scissor stairs, HB 2228.
In 2023, WA passed the nation's first single-stair bill, SB 5491.
Just sayin
An updated version of WA's elevator bill is on deck for a Senate floor vote.
1 - allows smaller elevators in smaller buildings
2 - establishes intent to harmonize WA's code with international standards
3 - instructs the SBCC to assess additional cost factors
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
1 - allows smaller elevators in smaller buildings
2 - establishes intent to harmonize WA's code with international standards
3 - instructs the SBCC to assess additional cost factors
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov
February 10, 2026 at 12:36 AM
An updated version of WA's elevator bill is on deck for a Senate floor vote.
1 - allows smaller elevators in smaller buildings
2 - establishes intent to harmonize WA's code with international standards
3 - instructs the SBCC to assess additional cost factors
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
1 - allows smaller elevators in smaller buildings
2 - establishes intent to harmonize WA's code with international standards
3 - instructs the SBCC to assess additional cost factors
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
Below is the key point of testimony I gave today in support of SB 6026 to allow housing in commercial zones.
Anyone who develops mixed-use will tell you that typically retail leases can't cover the cost of construction.
Requiring retail space is regressive policy, because renters pay the price.
Anyone who develops mixed-use will tell you that typically retail leases can't cover the cost of construction.
Requiring retail space is regressive policy, because renters pay the price.
February 6, 2026 at 2:55 AM
Below is the key point of testimony I gave today in support of SB 6026 to allow housing in commercial zones.
Anyone who develops mixed-use will tell you that typically retail leases can't cover the cost of construction.
Requiring retail space is regressive policy, because renters pay the price.
Anyone who develops mixed-use will tell you that typically retail leases can't cover the cost of construction.
Requiring retail space is regressive policy, because renters pay the price.
If you agree that retail spaces on the ground floor of apartment buildings should be optional, not mandated, here's something you can do:
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
To celebrate the possibility that SB 6026 will end mandates for apartment buildings to have commercial uses on their ground floors, here's a bunch of pics of empty retail spaces in Seattle's Capitol Hill, the most densely populated neighborhood in WA.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
February 3, 2026 at 9:37 PM
If you agree that retail spaces on the ground floor of apartment buildings should be optional, not mandated, here's something you can do:
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
People in all sorts of places want the option to live in MDUs.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
Thank you to Kylie Stanton from Global for interviewing me about our efforts to legalize my tiny home so that lower-income senior relatives have a safe, autonomous, affordable place to live with our family. Permit fees should be flexible for lower-income folks. globalnews.ca/video/116425...
January 29, 2026 at 6:41 PM
People in all sorts of places want the option to live in MDUs.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
SB 6026 to allow housing in commercial zones passed out of committee today with some reasonable compromise amendments that carve out more exceptions to making ground-floor commercial optional.
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
January 29, 2026 at 2:05 AM
SB 6026 to allow housing in commercial zones passed out of committee today with some reasonable compromise amendments that carve out more exceptions to making ground-floor commercial optional.
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
Short session comes at you fast!
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
Bill Tracker — #Homes4WA
www.homes4wa.org
January 28, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Short session comes at you fast!
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
Last year WA's elevator code reform bill, SB 5156, passed the Senate and died in the House, and it's now on deck for the Senate to pass it again.
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Send a comment
app.leg.wa.gov
January 27, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Last year WA's elevator code reform bill, SB 5156, passed the Senate and died in the House, and it's now on deck for the Senate to pass it again.
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Predictably, SB 6026's provision on ground-floor use is getting lots of pushback from cities.
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
January 27, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Predictably, SB 6026's provision on ground-floor use is getting lots of pushback from cities.
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Last year the MDU bill died waiting for a House floor vote, so that's where it's starting out this year.
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
January 27, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Last year the MDU bill died waiting for a House floor vote, so that's where it's starting out this year.
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
WA's mobile dwellings bill is in play again.
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
Fast, Affordable, Illegal | Sightline Institute
Homes on wheels are a lifeline for families, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out.
www.sightline.org
January 27, 2026 at 1:05 AM
WA's mobile dwellings bill is in play again.
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
To celebrate the possibility that SB 6026 will end mandates for apartment buildings to have commercial uses on their ground floors, here's a bunch of pics of empty retail spaces in Seattle's Capitol Hill, the most densely populated neighborhood in WA.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
January 15, 2026 at 12:00 AM
To celebrate the possibility that SB 6026 will end mandates for apartment buildings to have commercial uses on their ground floors, here's a bunch of pics of empty retail spaces in Seattle's Capitol Hill, the most densely populated neighborhood in WA.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
Thanks to @markusja.bsky.social and @theurbanist.org for last summer getting the conversion started on reforming building code to allow scissor stairs.
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
Op-Ed: Building Code Changes to Promote Better Multifamily Housing in Seattle » The Urbanist
# Urban planner Markus Johnson proposes a series of building code changes that would provide more desirable and accessible multifamily housing at a more reasonable construction cost than most current ...
www.theurbanist.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Thanks to @markusja.bsky.social and @theurbanist.org for last summer getting the conversion started on reforming building code to allow scissor stairs.
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
Scissor stairs are usually associated with tall/skinny residential towers, but Vancouver, BC just updated its rules with the goal of making scissor stairs a viable option for smaller-scale apartment buildings on smaller lots.
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
January 14, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Scissor stairs are usually associated with tall/skinny residential towers, but Vancouver, BC just updated its rules with the goal of making scissor stairs a viable option for smaller-scale apartment buildings on smaller lots.
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
The scissor stair bill, HB 2228, is a simple bill to get the state building code council to do a simple thing: adopt code to allow them.
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
January 14, 2026 at 7:35 PM
The scissor stair bill, HB 2228, is a simple bill to get the state building code council to do a simple thing: adopt code to allow them.
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
WA's scissor stair bill has a hearing Friday at 10:30am.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
January 14, 2026 at 7:24 PM
WA's scissor stair bill has a hearing Friday at 10:30am.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
Washington has a bill that would one up Florida's:
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
January 13, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Washington has a bill that would one up Florida's:
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
If you want to know why @sightline.org helped launch in 2025 the first statewide elevator code reform bill in the US, please watch this great new video.
The United States has the fewest elevators in the rich world, with Canada only a bit ahead. We teamed up with @uytaelee.bsky.social of About Here Videos to investigate why, exactly, North America sucks at elevators.
North America's Elevator Problem
YouTube video by About Here
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 11:12 PM
If you want to know why @sightline.org helped launch in 2025 the first statewide elevator code reform bill in the US, please watch this great new video.