Bill > SB6061

This bill aims to provide exemptions for housing development under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The key provisions are: 1. It allows cities and counties to establish categorical exemptions from SEPA requirements for government actions related to residential, mixed-use, or certain commercial development within designated urban growth areas, as long as the development is consistent with the applicable comprehensive plan and local environmental analysis has been conducted. 2. It creates a categorical exemption from SEPA requirements for all project actions that propose to develop one or more residential housing units or middle housing (as defined in RCW 36.70A.030) within incorporated or unincorporated urban growth areas, subject to certain criteria being met by the local jurisdiction. 3. It temporarily exempts, until September 30, 2025, all project actions that propose to develop one or more residential housing or middle housing units within a city west of the Cascade mountains with a population of 700,000 or more. 4. It specifies that any categorical exemptions adopted by a city or county under this bill must still be subject to the rules of the Department of Ecology regarding exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions.