STEP Model Ordinance materials are ready!
After several months of work and feedback from across the state, Commerce is excited to share our final STEP guidance. In 2021, the Legislature changed the way communities are required to plan for housing, including emergency shelters, transitional housing, emergency housing, and permanent supportive housing, or STEP (RCW 35A.21.430, RCW 35.21.683).
To support jurisdictions as they regulate STEP with their next periodic update, Commerce developed several resources, including:
Find these new resources on our Updating GMA Housing Elements webpage.
Upcoming webinar
Join us from 1-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, to learn more about the STEP model ordinance materials.
Drop-in hours
Commerce will also host STEP office hours twice per month to assist planners, elected officials and the public. Join us from 3-4 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
Contact Laura Hodgson at Laura.Hodgson@commerce.wa.gov for additional questions.
 Additional housing updates
CLIHP awards
Commerce is awarding $220,000 in Coordinated Low-Income Housing Planning (CLIHP) grants to seven community partnerships to support coordination of land use planning and homeless services planning.
View the list of grant awards (PDF)
Each city- or county-led partnership will use the funds to coordinate resources and plan for their lowest income housing needs, including residents experiencing homelessness.
The grant application period remains open until available funds are spent. Eligible applicants can receive up to $25,000 to support planning efforts to address their low-income housing needs.
For more details, see the grant instructions. Please submit questions and applications to Laura Hodgson.
More CHIP funding coming soon!
Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program grants
A new round of Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grants will open for applications on Aug. 26. CHIP grants support utility improvements for affordable housing projects. To date, $88 million in state investment has supported the development of more than 8,000 affordable housing units.
Next CHIP grant opportunity:
- Approximately $12 million available
- Maximum request $1 million
- Applications open in Zoom grants on Aug. 26, closing Oct. 31.
- Awards will be announced in January 2025.
- Funds must be expended by June 30, 2027.
- A CHIP application workshop: 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20.
For more information, visit Commerce’s CHIP webpage.
Housing for All Planning Tool updated
The Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT) has been updated to include a third method for allocating housing needs, enhancing planning capabilities for cities and counties.
Check out the updated HAPT tool
Commerce recommends counties who have not yet completed their housing need allocations review this additional method. If counties do not have an alternative method for allocating housing needs, Commerce recommends using the Method C. Please contact Laura Hodgson with questions or technical assistance.
Middle Housing Model Ordinances comment period
Updated Draft Middle Housing Model Ordinance and User Guide available for public comment through Aug. 7
Commerce seeks your feedback on the draft updates to middle housing model ordinances and the middle housing model ordinance user guide. These two ordinances, and the accompanying user guide, will provide technical assistance and guidance to cities adopting their own middle housing ordinances, regulations, and other official controls.
View the draft guidance documents and submit comments by Aug. 7 via the Planning for Middle Housing webpage.
Paper to Digital grant
Commerce is now taking applications for the Paper to Digital Grant Program. In 2023, SB 5290 amended the Local Project Review Act, RCW 36.70B to consolidate, streamline, and further improve local permit review processes for applicants, customers, planners, builders and designers. This grant program is designed to support cities and counties in the transition from paper to digital permit review processes; it will also aid in addressing housing shortages in their jurisdictions and across the state.
Funding details
Grants of up to $375,000 are available and will be prioritized based upon responses to questions posed in the grant application. Eligible costs may include those associated with the following activities:
- Costs to fully or partially update permit review process from paper filing systems to software systems capable of processing digital permit applications
- Virtual inspections
- Electronic review
- Video storage capacity
Application information
Pre-application virtual workshop
Commerce will host a pre-application workshop to provide more information about this grant opportunity and how to apply. Attendance is not required to apply for a grant.
Workshop information:
- 10 a.m. Thursday, July 25
Questions?
Please contact Growth Management Services. You can email Allan Johnson, project manager, at allan.johnson@commerce.wa.gov. Visit Commerce’s Local Project Review webpage for more information.
Growth Management staff update
Amy Hilland
Please welcome a new Eastern Region senior planner Amy Hilland (she/her). Amy provides technical assistance to four counties (Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille and Stevens) and serves as the unit’s expert on the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA).
Amy holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional planning from Eastern Washington University. Before joining Commerce, Amy worked for six years as a planner for Kootenai County, Idaho. She also serves as the President of the Inland Empire Section for the American Planning Association Washington State Chapter. Amy lives in Spokane, where she enjoys painting, reading and checking out the local eats.
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Nathan Pate
Say hello to a Western Region senior planner Nathan (Nate) Pate, who joins Commerce to assist Thurston, Mason and Kitsap Counties, as well as some small cities in King County, to plan for sustainable growth and economic development.
Nate is the unit’s subject matter expert on Urban Growth Areas and buildable lands and holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Western Washington University.
Before joining Commerce, Nate served as a local planner for counties and cities primarily in central Washington, including Chelan and Douglas counties and the city of Leavenworth.
Nate is a self-described planning enthusiast and has a passion for sharing his expertise with the communities he serves and mentoring new planners in the field.
Outside of work, Nate enjoys historic reenactment activities and rescuing animals, having recently welcomed a new dog, Lily, into the “Pate Pack.”
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Hannah Johnston
As a part of the Housing Section, Hannah helps to evaluate local comprehensive plans, regulations, and incentives related to GMA housing implementation, focusing especially on planning for the lowest income segments.
Hannah is a recent graduate of Portland State University’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program, where her studies focused on long range land use planning and housing policy. She has previously worked on long range planning initiatives for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon; neighborhood plans and sustainability initiatives for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and community engaged research projects with the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University.
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Courtney Williams
Please welcome Courtney Williams to the Housing Team in Growth Management Services. She will be providing technical assistance to jurisdictions on housing elements of comprehensive plans, supporting Coordinating Low-income Housing Planning (CLHIP) grant work and STEP work.
Courtney studied English and interned in Washington, D.C., and the state capitol as a student at the University of Maryland. She moved from New York to Seattle in 2020 to complete her master’s degree in public administration at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Most recently, she worked as an affordable housing policy analyst at King County.
Courtney enjoys cooking and going to the movies in the colder months, and loves to run, swim and hike when the sun comes out.
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Beyond Commerce
EPA Puget Sound Program grants
The Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL) is offering two funding opportunities for Puget Sound recovery. HSIL RFPs during 2024 include funding for up to two-year projects that accelerate Puget Sound recovery by improving the health of the rivers, forests, shorelines, estuaries, and marine vegetation through advancing Habitat Implementation Strategy outcomes.
Sea Level Rise and Climate Hazard Planning
- Up to $ 1 million for coastal resiliency planning, including vulnerability assessments, adaption strategies
Restoration Effectiveness of Soft Shore Alternatives
- Up to $1 million to improve our understanding of soft shore design for habitat protection and restoration
Request for proposals solicitation, application materials, and additional resources, including opportunities for technical assistance, are available on the HSIL’s Request for Proposals webpage.
For questions regarding these funding opportunities, please contact HSIL RFP coordinators Matt Lurie and Rebecca Brown.
DNR Groundwater fact sheet
Ever wished you knew more about geologic mapping? Who hasn’t!? Great news: The Washington Geological Survey (WGS) released a new fact sheet about geologic mapping in Washington. Geologic maps show the types and ages of rocks and younger deposits that are found at or near the Earth's surface. Maps show map units, faults and folds, cross sections, and other regional or local features. Click to download the Geologic Planning Fact Sheet and read more about surface geologic mapping on the WGS surface geology page.
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WSDOT success stories
The Washington State Department of Transportation is compiling success stories from rural and suburban cities and towns across the state demonstrating transportation-efficient strategies and projects. This data will be used to develop one-pagers to update the Transportation Efficient Communities website, include in presentations and for training.
Success stories may include demonstrations of Complete Streets, improved network connectivity, transit-oriented development, reductions in vehicle miles traveled, public transportation improvements, and more. Non-urban examples are a particularly valuable resource for rural and suburban communities.
If you have any examples in mind, please share them with WSDOT via SurveyMonkey by Wednesday, July 31.
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Department of Ecology: Updated stormwater permits
After a multi-year engagement process, the Department of Ecology has updated municipal stormwater permits for the state’s most populous cities and counties. The permits include new requirements to ensure proper stormwater management as communities grow.
Read more about the new permits on Ecology’s website.
Upcoming Events
Periodic Update Workshop Series
Register now for the virtual housing workshop!
Commerce has kicked off a new periodic update workshop series to bring you comprehensive information and resources that support jurisdictions with periodic updates due in 2026, as required under the Growth Management Act (GMA) RCW 36.70A.130. The upcoming housing workshop will include:
- Overview of new housing element requirements, including allocating housing needs, identifying sufficient land capacity, making adequate provisions for deeply affordable housing, and addressing racially disparate impacts
- Overview of required code changes, including middle housing, ADUs, STEP, impact fees, and unit lot subdivision
- City of Pasco case study: new residential design standards, missing middle ordinances, housing action plan, and policy development
When: 10 a.m.- 12 p.m., August 15
Each workshop will feature a different periodic update topic, including topics for jurisdictions that are partially planning under the GMA. Stay tuned to the periodic update webpage for more information and registration!
Questions? Contact Suzanne Austin at Suzanne.Austin@commerce.wa.gov
Regional Planners’ Forum
Southwest
The summer Southwest Washington Planners’ Forum will be from 9-11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 18, on Zoom.
Topics covered will include:
- Public engagement with community-based organizations (CBOs)
- Planning for homeless individuals and lowest income households
- Racially disparate impacts
Eastern
The summer Eastern Washington Planners’ Forum will be from 9-11:30 a.m. on July 31 on Zoom.
An agenda is forthcoming and will be published on the Planners’ Forums webpage.
Job opportunity
We have posted a position for a senior planner on our eastern regional team. Please forward this on to anyone that may be interested. You can find the job posting online on the Washington state job board.
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