Affordable Housing Planning Resources

Adopt a subarea plan pursuant to RCW 43.21C.420.

HB 1923 Webpages:

• Airway Heights's Downtown Subarea Plan
• Chewelah's Downtown Subarea Plan
• Lakewood's Station District Subarea Plan
• Marysville's Downtown Master Plan Update
• Port Orchard's Downtown and County Government Campus Subarea Plan

• Burien: Burien Urban Center Plan (2020) includes a focus on housing, an implementation and phasing plan, and extensive community outreach.
• King County: Skyway-West Hill Land Use Subarea Plan (2020 DRAFT) includes recommendations for residential and cultural displacement to be considered with new development and creation of an Equitable Housing Development Program requiring affordable units in new residential developments, among other policies.
• Lakewood: Lakewood Downtown Subarea Plan (2018) in combination with Downtown Development Code. The plan envisions a well-designed mixed-use place to live, work and shop, building on existing economic and cultural assets and incorporated extensive outreach. A 2019 Governor's Smart Communities - Smart Vision Award Winner. Project included a Planned Action Ordinance.
• Shoreline: 185th Street Station Subarea Plan (2015) - Focused around a future light rail station, the plan has a focus on sustainability/livability, an incremental implementation strategy, and a strong public engagement process. A 2016 Governor's Smart Communities winner. Project included a Planned Action Ordinance.
• Tacoma:
  • South Downtown Subarea Plan (2014) - Combined subarea plan and EIS for area including Tacoma Dome and Brewery districts, UW-Tacoma campus, and Foss Waterway waterfront redevelopment area. Winner of 2014 Governor's Smart Communities Award and 2014 APA/PAW Award for Excellence. Includes chapter on affordable housing and transfer of development rights (TDR), a required consideration of adopting a subarea plan.
  • Tacoma Mall Subarea Plan (2018) includes a well-developed chapter on housing, which includes performance measures to ensure housing remains affordable within the plan area. The Plan in implemented through amendments to Tacoma's Municipal Code, including an inclusionary zoning requirement for projects 15-units and larger in exchange for development incentives, and is accompanied by an EIS.
• University Place: Regional Growth Center Subarea Plan. A 2018 Governor's Smart Communities Honorable Mention. The Plan creates a framework for the regional growth envisioned in the three districts, creating a flexible framework of redevelopment that can be adapted to meet market conditions.