Shelters, Transitional Housing, Emergency Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing.

A city may not prohibit indoor emergency shelters, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, or permanent supportive housing (STEP housing) under certain circumstances.  The extent of this prohibition depends on the type of housing involved.  For example, a city may not prohibit transitional housing or permanent supportive housing in any zone where residential dwelling units or hotels are allowed.  Similarly, a city may not prohibit indoor emergency shelters or indoor emergency housing in any zone where hotels are allowed, unless the city has adopted an ordinance authorizing indoor emergency shelters and indoor emergency housing in a majority of zones within a one-mile proximity to transit.

A city may impose reasonable occupancy, spacing, and intensity use requirements on STEP housing for public health and safety purposes.  These requirements may not prevent the siting of a sufficient amount of STEP housing to accommodate the city's projected need under its comprehensive plan.

Permitting Requirements on Existing Buildings.

A city is generally prohibited from imposing permitting requirements on the use of an existing building for residential purposes beyond those requirements generally applicable to all residential development with in the building's zone.  However, this prohibition does not apply to emergency housing and transitional housing.

Local Requirements on Affordable housing developments.

A city, county, or other local governmental entity is authorized to impose and enforce requirements on affordable housing developments as conditions of loans, grants, financial support, tax benefits, subsidy funds, or sale or lease or public property.  The authorization also applies to affordable housing incentive programs or any other program involving bonus density, transfer of development rights, waiver of development regulations or fees, or other development incentives.

Shelters, Transitional Housing, Emergency Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing.

Counties planning under the Growth Management Act must allow transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, indoor emergency shelters, and indoor emergency housing (STEP housing) in any zone within an urban growth area not zoned for industrial use.  Cities are likewise required to allow STEP housing in any zones not zoned for industrial use.

A city or county subject to this requirement may generally not require any standards, conditions, or requirements for STEP housing that are more restrictive than those required for other types of development in the zone.  However, the city or county may apply any objective development regulations that are not required for residential development such as setback, lot coverage, stormwater, and tree canopy and retention requirements.  Similarly, the city or county may only apply the same development permit and environmental review processes to STEP housing that apply to other residential development in the same zone, unless otherwise required by state law, such as shoreline regulations and building, energy, and electrical codes.

If applying design review for STEP housing, only administrative design review may be required.  "Administrative design review" for cities is defined as a development permit process in which an application is reviewed, approved, or denied by the planning director (or designee) based solely on objective design and development standards without a public pre-decision hearing, unless the review is otherwise required by state or federal law or the structure is a designated landmark or historic district established under a local preservation ordinance.  A city may use public meetings, hearings, or voluntary review boards to consider, recommend, or approve requests for variances from locally established design review standards.

Permitting Requirements on Existing Buildings.

The prohibition against a city imposing permitting requirements on the use of an existing building for residential purposes beyond those requirements generally applicable to all residential development with in the building's zone is made applicable to all residential uses, including emergency housing and transitional housing.

Local Requirements on Affordable housing developments.

The types of requirements a city, county, or local governmental entity may impose and enforce on affordable housing developments are limited to reporting and auditing requirements only.