SPOKANE, Wash. — Skyrocketing rents and limited housing options are a major headache for some renters in Washington.
Now, a new law could provide another affordable housing option for them.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1998 last Tuesday. When it takes effect this June, it will remove regulations that could hamper future co-living development.
At a house in the Perry District on the South Hill, Mitchell Corbet has been living at a home there since last year, sharing the house with five people.
"I'm the newest member of the house," Corbet said. "Living here in a community like this, yes, I'm definitely saving money."
Corbet says everything costs a lot right now, and saving money on monthly rent is a huge help.
"I'm sharing resources," Corbet said.Â
The co-living house has five private spaces, where people from all age groups are living there, sharing a common space, like a kitchen.
"I think it will allow developers and property managers to get creative in creating new residential living opportunities," Mariah McKay, community manager of Our Natural Homes Co-Living Company, said. "People will borrow each other's car. People will go out hiking and camping together."
The passed legislation includes requirements for cities and counties to allow co-living permitting multifamily housing, and it would prohibit regulations against the development.
Ben Stuckart is Executive Director with Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium. He says co-living housing could be one of the ways to fix the housing crisis.Â
"I was talking to real estate," Stuckart said. "They are seeing the record low in supply so that drives prices up. I think every little bit that legislators can do will help."Â
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
