Washington Governor Ferguson Announces Progress on Housing Accelerator: Commerce Report Lays Out Barriers and Cost Drivers
The Office of Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced that the state Department of Commerce has delivered its first report to the Legislature on the Washington Accelerator for Residential Production (WARP), presenting preliminary options to speed up housing production, lower costs and remove unnecessary regulations, with final recommendations expected in June 2027.
Governor Ferguson proposed WARP in his first supplemental budget. The accelerator builds on his January 2025 Executive Order, signed minutes after taking office, directing state agencies to review all regulations that impact housing, permitting and construction and identify any provision that can be streamlined, deferred or eliminated.
"When I was running for Governor, I visited all 39 counties, and by far, the issue I heard about the most was housing," Governor Ferguson said. "That's why it's been one of my top priorities since day one of my administration. We've made historic investments in building more housing and making housing more affordable. This report is the next step in building a framework for efficient, effective regulation that lets us build more housing of all kinds."
Since taking office, Governor Ferguson has signed more than 50 housing-related laws and invested nearly $1 billion into affordable housing. Between April 2025 and March 2026, Washington added 41,000 housing units, according to survey data from the Office of Financial Management. Multi-family units accounted for 62% of that growth, and 69% of those units were built in one of the state's five largest metropolitan counties - Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane.
"When homes cost too much and take too long to build, families pay for it in higher rents, longer commutes and fewer chances to own a home," said Commerce Interim Director Sarah Clifthorne. "WARP is how we get on the same page about what is slowing down building so we can work together to remove barriers to creating more housing."
(Source: Office of the Governor of Washington)
Source: Office of the Governor of Washington
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Olympia 的华盛顿州议会大厦（CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / Photo: The Washington State Capitol building in Olympia (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
