We need your help to reduce the cost of the land upon which our housing solutions must be built (HB 1974 – Coordinated Land Banking)!

In recent years there have been many excellent housing policies advanced in the legislature to address the once-in-a-generation housing shortage facing our state. HB 1974, the Coordinated Land Banking bill, concentrates on reducing the cost of the land upon which our housing solutions must be built. This is essential because:  

• Land can be 25% of the total cost of an affordable housing project and it can take 1-3 years for a project to go from planning to construction.   
• Acquiring, holding, and preparing land often falls on public-purpose developers who lose their limited capacity and resources navigating these processes.  
• Emerging and small BIPOC public-purpose developers want to build solutions for our communities, but our history and legacy of racial discrimination have led to limitations in access to housing and community development. 
• When land sits idle and is not appropriately managed, it can provide opportunities for blight and crime.  

HB 1974 establishes a comprehensive land banking framework to bring underutilized parcels back into productive use to contribute the mixed-income affordable homes we need to meet local housing goals. By assembling, holding, managing, and improving properties for public-purpose developers, and then transferring them at minimal cost, land banks provide the essential support needed to scale affordable housing development, increase fairness and access, and help our communities thrive.

Both the Development Consortium Seattle-King County (HDC) and the Black Home Initiative (BHI) have listed HB 1974 as a lead bill in their advocacy agendas because they understand how essential land is in the production of affordable homes. HDC & BHI led a series of workgroup and stakeholder meetings in the fall of 2025, inclusive of a total of 70 participants, to ensure that HB 1974 received extensive input from members of the housing sector. Learn more about this innovative bill in this HB 1974 bill brief.

To produce more affordable rental and affordable homeownership opportunities, we must use every tool in the toolbox. Coordinated Land Banking is an excellent tool that addresses the importance of land in the development of our homes. Let’s get HB 1974 passed in 2026! Ask your legislators to support Coordinated Land Banking in Washington State today!