The Washington State Legislature approved E2SHB 1923 in 2019 which encourages communities to take various actions and adopt plans that will increase residential building capacity. The City of Yakima is already working on various elements contemplated by the new law and will be reviewing appropriate zoning text amendments to implement some of these actions in October 2019. The new bill authorizes up to $100,000 to each qualifying community to draft a Housing Action Plan that implements various portions of the law. In addition, the funding may be utilized for community engagement necessary to public participation in the Housing Action Plan. On May 7, 2019, the City Council voted to initiate a Housing Action Plan.
A letter of Commitment from the Mayor of Yakima is a required attachment for the grant application. |