Matt Hutchins: Wash. State’s Dept. of Commerce Design Standards Discourage Density Mandated by Law

As an architect and infill housing expert, Matt Hutchins believes the Washington State Department of Commerce middle housing model code should tackle head on the housing crisis and climate change rather than seek to make new housing development as deferential to neighbors as possible (low densities, smaller footprints, bigger setbacks, lower heights). He doesn’t believe the standards match up with the reality of today’s neighborhoods and believes the toolkit could even give slow-growth municipalities cover for downzoning. He does not believe that recently developed standards would comply with House Bill 1110 as passed by the state legislature in 2023.

Matt Hutchins, AIA CPHD is the founder of CAST Architecture in Seattle, a Seattle Planning Commissioner, and a Public Policy Director for the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects.