Research Reports

The Washington Center for Real Estate Research is pleased to release our report on the methodology for tracking production of permanent housing at various affordability levels. Under the Growth Management Act, fully planning counties and their cities are required to “plan for and accommodate housing affordable to all economic segments of the population of the state”.

This report is the first of two that will explain how WCRER plans to implement SSB 5587, which was enacted in 2025 to help the Washington Legislature track progress in production of affordable housing at the county level throughout the state. A second report, to be published later, will focus on the methodology for assessing the production of emergency and permanent supportive housing for the homeless.

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In recent years, the Washington legislature has enacted significant legislation intended to increase capacity for residential development in urban areas and thereby make housing more affordable. It is well understood that unnecessarily restrictive regulatory constraints are among the key factors leading to the inadequate supply and high cost of housing. The recent legislation directly targets these kinds of constraints.

This report focuses on the possible impacts of two key pieces of legislation: HB 1923 and HB 2343, enacted in 2019 and 2020, respectively. These provided planning grants to help municipalities develop and implement housing action plans intended to identify potential actions, including code changes, to enhance residential building capacity.

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Finding common ground: UW researchers issue state-level policy recommendations for transit-oriented development to address transportation and housing needs

Transit-oriented development (TOD) can address both housing and transportation needs with dense, mixed-use, vibrant neighborhoods that have travel options to reduce car dependency and related greenhouse gas emissions. While there is general agreement about these benefits, it can be difficult for decision-makers to reach consensus on how to support the development of TOD and what the role of states might be in creating an equitable and sustainable framework.

A new report out of the Mobility Innovation Center at the University of Washington (UW), led by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER), evaluated policies in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and British Columbia, and also interviewed policy experts, developers, and legislators to identify key themes and elements for transit-oriented development from a state-level perspective to promote private investment.

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