Washington state Senate passes legislation to encourage Mother-in-law cottages

State Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, was celebrating the passage of her bill to encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs or mother-in-law cottages, Monday.

“We need housing options as diverse as our communities are,” Shewmake said in a statement. “An ADU isn’t right for everyone, but it might be perfect for someone looking for an affordable place to live, or a homeowner with extra space on their lot to build. We should cut the red tape and make it easier to build these, not put up roadblocks and make it harder.”

Shewmake also praised Ferndale, Washington, a city in her 42nd Legislative District, for giving out Metallica-inspired t-shirts to encourage ADU construction.

On the shirts, the Metallica album “And Justice for All” was reworked in parodic fashion to say, “And Housing for All!”

The Washington Senate Democrats explained the need for the bill, stating in a news release that “many local regulations make ADUs expensive or difficult to build, limiting the supply of them available to renters and buyers.”

Against this, Senate Bill 5235 would “cut red tape and remove some barriers to construction, and would require comprehensive plans under the Growth Management Act to allow for ADUs within an urban growth area,” the release said.

SB 5235 cleared the state Senate by a vote of 42-6 Monday. It now goes to the state House for consideration.

The no votes were mostly Republicans but also included Democratic Majority Caucus Chair Bob Hasegawa of Seattle.