The Washington State Senate made a big move on Thursday that could change how cities handle parking, but not everyone is thrilled about it.
They passed ESSB 5184, a bill aimed at easing parking requirements for new housing and commercial developments. Supporters argue that this will make building homes cheaper and easier, while critics fear it will lead to crowded streets and frustrated drivers.
At the heart of the debate is a question with no easy answer: How much parking is too much, and who gets to decide?
Parking vs. Housing
Senator Emily Bateman (D-Olympia), who sponsored the bill, laid out a stark reality: The U.S. has about ten parking spaces for every car, yet Washington is short roughly 250,000 homes. She argues that strict parking requirements drive up housing costs and make it harder to build in areas where parking isn’t as necessary.
“We’re forcing developers to build parking that sometimes just sits empty,” Bateman said. “That adds costs, and those costs get passed down to renters and homebuyers.”
The bill would give developers more flexibility in deciding how much parking to include, instead of being bound by one-size-fits-all city mandates. It also aims to make neighborhoods more walkable and reduce unnecessary land use for massive parking lots.
Bateman pointed to shopping centers as a key example. “Right now, a lot of retail spaces in Washington are legally required to dedicate more land to parking than the actual building itself. That doesn’t make sense everywhere.”
The Pushback: Not Every City is the Same
Critics of the bill argue that Washington’s communities are too different to be covered by a single policy. Senator Phil Fortunato (R-Auburn) believes the bill ties the hands of developers who may actually want more parking for businesses in car-dependent areas.
“If a developer wants more parking for a shopping center, why should we stand in the way?” Fortunato said. “Not every part of the state has great public transportation or walkability.” His amendment to exempt commercial spaces over 1,000 square feet was also rejected.
Senator Leonard Christian (R-Spokane Valley) pushed for an amendment to limit the bill’s application to cities with populations over 225,000, arguing, “This is a great plan to reduce parking, and I think it helps solve some of the housing issues around major cities, but that’s exactly where it should be… this doesn’t necessarily fill the rest of our state’s needs.” The amendment failed.
Another major concern came from rural lawmakers, who argue that the bill doesn’t reflect the realities of life outside urban centers. Senator Keith Wagoner (R-Sedro Woolley), a former mayor, shared his perspective on parking needs in smaller communities.
“In rural communities, it’s not just one person driving a Prius… You’ve got a pickup and a truck to haul your horse trailer and the trailer itself. It’s a different culture than it is in urban areas,” Wagoner said. “If we don’t plan for that, we’re just going to create new problems.”
To address these concerns, lawmakers added exemptions to the bill. Small towns with fewer than 20,000 residents won’t have to follow the new rules, and cities can opt out if they can prove safety concerns to the Department of Commerce.
The Vote and What’s Next
Despite the pushback, the bill passed 40-8 with one member excused, with a mix of Democrats and Republicans voting against it. Even some skeptics admitted that change is needed, though they weren’t sure this was the right approach.
The bill now moves to the House, where it’s expected to face more heated debate. A House companion version of the bill has gone nowhere and remains stuck in committee.