HB 1183, passed by Washington legislature in late April, will restrict city and county planning from requiring setback and facade modulation for residential mass timber construction among other building projects including affordable housing and modular construction.

The International Code Council and Center for Offsite Construction at the New York Institute of Technology will partner on the development of modular construction standards, providing clear guidelines for the connection and configuration of modular components. The standards will be published in the “CFOC/ICC 1220 Standard on Configurations and Connections for Off-Site Construction.” in May 2026.

A report on housing for Governor Ferguson, as mentioned in the governor’s inaugural speech on January 15, 2025. Page 31 mentions opportunities around modular housing and the need for new permitting processes.

WA Commerce and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency are currently conducting a joint survey to inform the Washington state and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Metropolitan Statistical Area Comprehensive Climate Action Plans (CCAPs). Complete the Washington CCAP Survey to let policymakers know that mass timber is part of the solution.

Gov. Bob Ferguson and the Washington State Department of Commerce announced $14.6 million in grants to support shovel-ready housing projects that will create more than 1,800 affordable units in 10 counties. The grants will support projects ranging from affordable housing for seniors to permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness.

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The Executive Climate Office is looking to fill a Circular Economy for Salvaged Lumber Senior Project Manager position to support implementation of a recently awarded $50M EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant.

King County was awarded $3.4M to further incentivize the development of a circular economy for salvaged lumber (2025-2030). By collecting and reusing this lumber, and scrap lumber from new construction, we can create a more sustainable, circular system.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is seeking proposals from teams to design, build, operate, and pilot a program to foster lumber reuse, or a circular economy for lumber. To bolster Seattle's current programs promoting salvage and deconstruction, SPU seeks to support the establishment of a salvaged lumber warehouse.

‍Deadline: February 11, 2025