Padden bill awaits Inslee's signature

OLYMPIA - A bill to encourage home ownership by making it easier to construct smaller condominium buildings is on its way to the governor's desk.

Senate Bill 5792, introduced by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, would exclude buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than three stories high from the definition of "multiunit residential building" if one story is utilized for above- or below-ground parking or retail space.

The House of Representatives passed the measure Friday, 96-0; the Senate approved it 49-0 last month. It now awaits the governor's signature.

"This bill builds on last year's efforts to have more housing options for Washington's middle class," Padden said. "Condominiums provide an affordable path to homeownership for first-time homebuyers."

When Senate Bill 5792 received a public hearing in the House Housing Committee last month, Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley and an official with the Building Industry Association of Washington testified in favor of it.

During a public hearing on the bill in the Senate Law and Justice Committee early this session, Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson and Spokane Valley City Council member Rod Higgins testified in support of the bill.

The law created last year by Padden's Senate Bill 5058 exempts buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than two stories high from the definition of "multi-unit residential building."

Padden said the combination of Senate Bill 5058 and this year's new bill should result in more homeownership in the state. 

"Washington has one of the lower homeownership rates in the nation, and both policies can help our state address this problem," Padden said. "These smaller condominiums would still have the same building requirements that a townhouse or single-family house would have."