Dan Bertolet
@danbertolet.bsky.social
I think it's good when cities are legal, and I work at Sightline Institute to make that happen. My takes on here, though, are no less than 100% mine.
If you agree that retail spaces on the ground floor of apartment buildings should be optional, not mandated, here's something you can do:
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
To celebrate the possibility that SB 6026 will end mandates for apartment buildings to have commercial uses on their ground floors, here's a bunch of pics of empty retail spaces in Seattle's Capitol Hill, the most densely populated neighborhood in WA.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
February 3, 2026 at 9:37 PM
If you agree that retail spaces on the ground floor of apartment buildings should be optional, not mandated, here's something you can do:
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
Take pics of vacant storefronts in you neighborhood and post them as a reply here, with info about where they are.
And please share this post, thank you!!!
People in all sorts of places want the option to live in MDUs.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
Thank you to Kylie Stanton from Global for interviewing me about our efforts to legalize my tiny home so that lower-income senior relatives have a safe, autonomous, affordable place to live with our family. Permit fees should be flexible for lower-income folks. globalnews.ca/video/116425...
January 29, 2026 at 6:41 PM
People in all sorts of places want the option to live in MDUs.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
Here's an example in Nanaimo, BC, where officials are working on new policies to allow people to live in MDUs full time and enjoy the benefits of this option that's unmatched in terms of low cost and quickness.
SB 6026 to allow housing in commercial zones passed out of committee today with some reasonable compromise amendments that carve out more exceptions to making ground-floor commercial optional.
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
January 29, 2026 at 2:05 AM
SB 6026 to allow housing in commercial zones passed out of committee today with some reasonable compromise amendments that carve out more exceptions to making ground-floor commercial optional.
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
Great to see this bill moving!
app.leg.wa.gov/committeesch...
Short session comes at you fast!
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
Bill Tracker — #Homes4WA
www.homes4wa.org
January 28, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Short session comes at you fast!
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
#WAleg is once again cooking up a slew of housing bills and if you're struggling to keep up, @sightline.org's got you covered with our bill tracker:
www.homes4wa.org/bill-tracker
Last year WA's elevator code reform bill, SB 5156, passed the Senate and died in the House, and it's now on deck for the Senate to pass it again.
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Send a comment
app.leg.wa.gov
January 27, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Last year WA's elevator code reform bill, SB 5156, passed the Senate and died in the House, and it's now on deck for the Senate to pass it again.
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Supporters can help by contacting your Senators and asking them to bring the bill to a floor vote, using this form:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5156
Predictably, SB 6026's provision on ground-floor use is getting lots of pushback from cities.
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
January 27, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Predictably, SB 6026's provision on ground-floor use is getting lots of pushback from cities.
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
The companion bill HB 2480 has a hearing tomorrow and needs support on making ground-floor retail optional.
Testify:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Written comments:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Last year the MDU bill died waiting for a House floor vote, so that's where it's starting out this year.
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
January 27, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Last year the MDU bill died waiting for a House floor vote, so that's where it's starting out this year.
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
The best thing supporters can do right now is contact your Reps and ask them to bring HB 1443 to a floor vote.
You can use the form here:
app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1443
WA's mobile dwellings bill is in play again.
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
Fast, Affordable, Illegal | Sightline Institute
Homes on wheels are a lifeline for families, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out.
www.sightline.org
January 27, 2026 at 1:05 AM
WA's mobile dwellings bill is in play again.
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
MDUs are low-cost, quick-to-install homes suit the needs of all kinds of people, but zoning bans them from everywhere except mobile home parks.
HB 1443 would allow a homeowner to put one in their backyard.
www.sightline.org/2026/01/26/f...
To celebrate the possibility that SB 6026 will end mandates for apartment buildings to have commercial uses on their ground floors, here's a bunch of pics of empty retail spaces in Seattle's Capitol Hill, the most densely populated neighborhood in WA.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
January 15, 2026 at 12:00 AM
To celebrate the possibility that SB 6026 will end mandates for apartment buildings to have commercial uses on their ground floors, here's a bunch of pics of empty retail spaces in Seattle's Capitol Hill, the most densely populated neighborhood in WA.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
Thanks to @markusja.bsky.social and @theurbanist.org for last summer getting the conversion started on reforming building code to allow scissor stairs.
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
Op-Ed: Building Code Changes to Promote Better Multifamily Housing in Seattle » The Urbanist
# Urban planner Markus Johnson proposes a series of building code changes that would provide more desirable and accessible multifamily housing at a more reasonable construction cost than most current ...
www.theurbanist.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Thanks to @markusja.bsky.social and @theurbanist.org for last summer getting the conversion started on reforming building code to allow scissor stairs.
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
So many little code barriers like this have accumulated and we'll have to keep chipping away at them.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/04/o...
Scissor stairs are usually associated with tall/skinny residential towers, but Vancouver, BC just updated its rules with the goal of making scissor stairs a viable option for smaller-scale apartment buildings on smaller lots.
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
January 14, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Scissor stairs are usually associated with tall/skinny residential towers, but Vancouver, BC just updated its rules with the goal of making scissor stairs a viable option for smaller-scale apartment buildings on smaller lots.
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
council.vancouver.ca/20251210/doc...
The scissor stair bill, HB 2228, is a simple bill to get the state building code council to do a simple thing: adopt code to allow them.
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
January 14, 2026 at 7:35 PM
The scissor stair bill, HB 2228, is a simple bill to get the state building code council to do a simple thing: adopt code to allow them.
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
They've been legal in NYC and Vancouver, BC for decades and are common in Europe and Asia.
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/202...
WA's scissor stair bill has a hearing Friday at 10:30am.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
January 14, 2026 at 7:24 PM
WA's scissor stair bill has a hearing Friday at 10:30am.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
If you understand why it would be a good thing to allow scissor stairs, please consider testifying, which is easy to do over Zoom, time limit typically 2 minutes.
Link to sign up:
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
Select "remote" testimony.
Washington has a bill that would one up Florida's:
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
January 13, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Washington has a bill that would one up Florida's:
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
SB 6026 would allow residential outright in all commercial zones with zero mandates of any kind.
On top of that, it would ban requirements for ground floor commercial in mixed-use buildings.
app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/...
If you want to know why @sightline.org helped launch in 2025 the first statewide elevator code reform bill in the US, please watch this great new video.
The United States has the fewest elevators in the rich world, with Canada only a bit ahead. We teamed up with @uytaelee.bsky.social of About Here Videos to investigate why, exactly, North America sucks at elevators.
North America's Elevator Problem
YouTube video by About Here
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 11:12 PM
If you want to know why @sightline.org helped launch in 2025 the first statewide elevator code reform bill in the US, please watch this great new video.
BUILDING CODE NERD ALERT!
WA's scissor stair bill just dropped, HB 2228:
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?...
You know all those elegant skinny towers in Vancouver, BC? Part of why they're common is that scissor stairs make small floor plates more feasible.
Why not here? Why not everywhere?
WA's scissor stair bill just dropped, HB 2228:
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?...
You know all those elegant skinny towers in Vancouver, BC? Part of why they're common is that scissor stairs make small floor plates more feasible.
Why not here? Why not everywhere?
HB 2228 Washington State Legislature
app.leg.wa.gov
January 6, 2026 at 12:49 AM
BUILDING CODE NERD ALERT!
WA's scissor stair bill just dropped, HB 2228:
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?...
You know all those elegant skinny towers in Vancouver, BC? Part of why they're common is that scissor stairs make small floor plates more feasible.
Why not here? Why not everywhere?
WA's scissor stair bill just dropped, HB 2228:
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?...
You know all those elegant skinny towers in Vancouver, BC? Part of why they're common is that scissor stairs make small floor plates more feasible.
Why not here? Why not everywhere?
Nice words of support for elevator code reform from WA's House D majority leader.
Watch for the return of SB 5156 when session starts next week.
komonews.com/news/local/p...
Watch for the return of SB 5156 when session starts next week.
komonews.com/news/local/p...
January 5, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Nice words of support for elevator code reform from WA's House D majority leader.
Watch for the return of SB 5156 when session starts next week.
komonews.com/news/local/p...
Watch for the return of SB 5156 when session starts next week.
komonews.com/news/local/p...
WA's MDU bill, HB 1443, is running again in the 2026 session.
Check out our 2-pager for all the reasons we should allow this flexible, low-cost housing option on any residential lot, just like we do with ADUs.
www.sightline.org/wp-content/u...
Check out our 2-pager for all the reasons we should allow this flexible, low-cost housing option on any residential lot, just like we do with ADUs.
www.sightline.org/wp-content/u...
December 17, 2025 at 12:41 AM
WA's MDU bill, HB 1443, is running again in the 2026 session.
Check out our 2-pager for all the reasons we should allow this flexible, low-cost housing option on any residential lot, just like we do with ADUs.
www.sightline.org/wp-content/u...
Check out our 2-pager for all the reasons we should allow this flexible, low-cost housing option on any residential lot, just like we do with ADUs.
www.sightline.org/wp-content/u...
Good on Vancouver BC for telling the truth about how unfunded inclusionary zoning is inherently self-defeating.
December 12, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Good on Vancouver BC for telling the truth about how unfunded inclusionary zoning is inherently self-defeating.
If you're wondering why @sightline.org is working to legalize the quirky housing type known as mobile dwelling units, please watch this presentation by @citizen-cate.bsky.social.
Nothing beats MDUs for flexible, low-cost homes for people in all kinds of life situations.
tvw.org/video/house-...
Nothing beats MDUs for flexible, low-cost homes for people in all kinds of life situations.
tvw.org/video/house-...
December 10, 2025 at 1:00 AM
If you're wondering why @sightline.org is working to legalize the quirky housing type known as mobile dwelling units, please watch this presentation by @citizen-cate.bsky.social.
Nothing beats MDUs for flexible, low-cost homes for people in all kinds of life situations.
tvw.org/video/house-...
Nothing beats MDUs for flexible, low-cost homes for people in all kinds of life situations.
tvw.org/video/house-...
We expect to see the elevator bill back in 2026, and also a new bill to expand the applicability of the 2025 condo bill so it applies to middle housing up to four stories.
2026 is shaping up to be yet another busy WA session for housing.
2026 is shaping up to be yet another busy WA session for housing.
An amendment on deck to Seattle's 2026 legislative agenda from Alexis Mercedes Rinck would prioritize the issue of condominium reform and updated elevator standards when it comes to potential housing reforms.
December 9, 2025 at 12:51 AM
We expect to see the elevator bill back in 2026, and also a new bill to expand the applicability of the 2025 condo bill so it applies to middle housing up to four stories.
2026 is shaping up to be yet another busy WA session for housing.
2026 is shaping up to be yet another busy WA session for housing.
Reposted by Dan Bertolet
Tomorrow, Oregon is poised to approve the nation's first statewide model zoning code + become the first state to make it mandatory in cities that underperform their peers on housing production www.sightline.org/2025/12/03/n...
New Oregon Rules Will Re-Legalize Neighborhood Apartments | Sightline Institute
Over time, the state zoning standards make space for tens of thousands more homes in Oregon cities.
www.sightline.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Tomorrow, Oregon is poised to approve the nation's first statewide model zoning code + become the first state to make it mandatory in cities that underperform their peers on housing production www.sightline.org/2025/12/03/n...
Felt an urge to tap the sign.
(which may or may not have anything to do with recent convos about potential pilot legislation in WA)
(which may or may not have anything to do with recent convos about potential pilot legislation in WA)
October 30, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Felt an urge to tap the sign.
(which may or may not have anything to do with recent convos about potential pilot legislation in WA)
(which may or may not have anything to do with recent convos about potential pilot legislation in WA)
Back in 2018 I estimated that adding curb bulbouts at every every intersection in Seattle's single-family zones would make room for 160,000 trees. It would also make those intersections safer.
Great to see this idea getting some attention in Coucil.
www.sightline.org/2018/09/06/s...
Great to see this idea getting some attention in Coucil.
www.sightline.org/2018/09/06/s...
October 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Back in 2018 I estimated that adding curb bulbouts at every every intersection in Seattle's single-family zones would make room for 160,000 trees. It would also make those intersections safer.
Great to see this idea getting some attention in Coucil.
www.sightline.org/2018/09/06/s...
Great to see this idea getting some attention in Coucil.
www.sightline.org/2018/09/06/s...
There's a long, long list of good reasons why we should:
MAKE MORE CITY
But at this point in history, creating Ds may be the top one.
MAKE MORE CITY
But at this point in history, creating Ds may be the top one.
Everybody's talking about Dem strategy, so here's something to add to the mix.
I start with this premise: The best and most reliable indicator of whether someone will vote red or blue is the density of the place they live. More dense, more likely to be blue, & vice versa.
I start with this premise: The best and most reliable indicator of whether someone will vote red or blue is the density of the place they live. More dense, more likely to be blue, & vice versa.
October 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
There's a long, long list of good reasons why we should:
MAKE MORE CITY
But at this point in history, creating Ds may be the top one.
MAKE MORE CITY
But at this point in history, creating Ds may be the top one.