Co-living residential housing is coming to Washington after Inslee signs bill into law

In a push to promote affordable and versatile housing, residential units with shared common spaces and individual rooms for rent can now be built in Washington.

Referred to as “co-living,” these housing units resemble the familiar dormitory setup often lived in by college students. Co-living residents would share a kitchen and common area, while still enjoying the privacy of their own rooms, under the new law.

Gov. Jay Inslee signed that legislation on Tuesday after it unanimously passed the House and advanced through the Senate in a 44-4 vote during this year’s legislative session. The law will take effect in early June.

“There’s no difference between, say, three people sharing one standard apartment unit and three people residing in separate co-living sleeping units,” bill sponsor Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, said in early January.

He worked together with Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-Sea-Tac, to propose and pass the bill through the Legislature. Gregerson said co-living is a good way for students, single adults and seniors to stay close to their communities, adding that residents would most likely have their own bathroom, but it’s not directly specified in the bill.

Ben Stuckart, executive director of Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, said Spokane is facing a housing crisis just like many other cities statewide.

Rent increased over 60% in Spokane from 2020-22, he said, and there are over 8,000 people on the waitlist for low-income housing, with not enough units to accommodate everybody.

“The only way we’re going to get people to stay off the streets is to increase supply and to stabilize rents, and that means building more housing of all types,” Stuckart said during public testimony.

He also noted how the timing of this bill coincides with the 50-year anniversary of Expo ’74, where Spokane lost a large amount of low-income housing near Riverfront Park.

“It’s really important to remember that we lost 3,254 low-income housing units. Over 1,500 of those were co-living units in 1974 leading up to (the Expo),” Stuckart said. “As a community, we need to make sure that we’re replacing those units.”

Under the law, cities and counties must allow co-living housing on residential lots where at least six multifamily housing units are permitted by January 2026. Additionally, local governments cannot mandate off-street parking within half a mile of a major transit stop or require more than one off-street parking space per sleeping unit for this housing style.

Supporters of the bill said parking limitations are necessary because parking expenses often inflate housing costs, and co-living facilities are sometimes built on small lots that can’t accommodate excess parking requirements.

Opponents argued that these housing units attract parking demand and could place the burden of additional parking on local governments, driving up their costs.

Spokane’s co-living community

Haystack Heights is a co-housing neighborhood located in the South Perry District that was completed in January 2022.

Instead of sharing a common space or kitchen within the home, as outlined in this year’s bill, the 39-unit community has single-family homes with traditional amenities for each house. The co-housing aspect happens outside of the home, where residents can enjoy a shared dining area, kitchen and communal space.

“The common house is really a centerpiece of the community,” resident Bob Francis said. “It physically sits in the center, and it’s kind of the center of our communal life. We do meals there, we do events and activities there, and it has some other shared things (like) shared guestrooms that we can all utilize.”

Francis and his family have lived in the neighborhood for around 21/2 years, and he also serves as the head of public relations for the community. Having previously rented a house in the South Hill area, Francis noted one of the biggest differences between co-housing and renting in a standard community is the connection with neighbors.

Before living in Haystack Heights, Francis would wave here and there to neighbors, “but it’s not like you’re sharing meals together or sharing life or decisions together,” he said.

Living in a co-housing community, his interaction with neighbors completely changed.

“We know all of our neighbors by name and not just by name, but we know them well,” Francis said. “We share life with them. We celebrate with them, and we support each other when needed.”

Haystack is a community of sharing, he said. Friday morning, Francis lent his neighbor a level because she was hanging a picture, and when the Francis family’s car was totaled just recently, numerous neighbors stepped up and offered to lend them their car when needed, he said.

“Of course, it’s not utopia and we have our ups and downs, but, you know, we figure things out and we continue to evolve and refine how we live together,” Francis said.