State Details Housing Accelerator Progress to Legislature
Washington's Commerce Department delivered its first WARP report on residential production to lawmakers in Olympia.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Residential
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The Washington State Department of Commerce delivered its first report to the Legislature on the Washington Accelerator for Residential Production (WARP), a program Governor Bob Ferguson proposed in his first supplemental budget. The report examines barriers to housing construction across planning, permitting, financing and construction stages.
Why it matters
The report follows Governor Ferguson's January 2025 executive order directing state agencies to review housing-related regulations and comes as builders, local governments and housing providers report high costs, long timelines and uncertain funding. Commerce will submit a final report with prioritized legislative and funding recommendations by June 30, 2027.
Washington added 41,000 housing units from April 2025 to March 2026, with multi-family units accounting for 62% of growth and 69% of new units built in five metro counties. Final prioritized recommendations for lawmakers remain pending until June 30, 2027.
The players
Washington State Department of Commerce
The state agency responsible for economic development, housing and community programs, which prepared the WARP report for the Legislature.
Bob Ferguson
The Governor of Washington, who proposed the WARP program and has signed more than 50 housing-related laws since taking office.
Sarah Clifthorne
A Washington state public official identified in connection with the WARP accelerator's work.
Anne Fritzel
A Washington state public official identified in connection with the WARP accelerator's work.
The details
The WARP report describes a framework covering planning and infrastructure, project design and permitting, financing, construction, and sales and operations. For each stage, it lists barriers and cost drivers identified by stakeholders along with potential state actions.
Timeline
January 2025: Governor Ferguson signed an executive order directing state agencies to review housing-related regulations.
April 2025 to March 2026: Washington added 41,000 housing units.
December 3, 2026: WARP topic meeting on regulations and permitting.
January 6, 2027: WARP topic meeting on innovative housing types.
June 30, 2027: Final WARP report due to the Legislature.
Residential Roadmap
The WARP report builds directly on Executive Order 25-02, extending a 2025 review of housing rules into a stage-by-stage framework for residential production. It reflects a state approach that ties regulatory review to funding and legislative recommendations.
The WARP effort aims to address high construction costs, long permitting timelines and unreliable funding that builders and housing providers report. Any resulting changes to rules or financing could affect how quickly new homes are approved and built across Washington.
The takeaway
Residents tracking housing costs in Washington can watch the December 2026 and January 2027 WARP meetings and the June 30, 2027 final report for specific regulatory and funding changes that could affect new home supply.
What happens next
Commerce will hold WARP topic meetings on December 3, 2026 and January 6, 2027, and will submit the final report with prioritized recommendations to the Legislature by June 30, 2027.
Further reading
For more on the state's housing construction trends, see Residential coverage across Washington.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Longview Daily News.
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