This fall, Congress passed the bipartisan Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025, which aims to help communities build more homes, faster, and clear barriers to financing, land use, and permitting. Nationally, the act directs federal agencies like HUD and USDA to coordinate housing policy, give priority to projects in Opportunity Zones, streamline small-dollar mortgages, expand the appraiser workforce, and support zoning and land-use reform.

In Washington state, many of the same reform themes are already in motion. Legislation passed or underway addresses middle housing (duplexes through four-plexes), transit-oriented development zoning, lot-splitting, and larger housing fund investments. Washington REALTORS® played a major role, sponsoring many of these bills and working alongside state legislators, including 8th District Representative April Connors, who has championed many housing reforms.

Key Overlaps

• Middle-housing laws require cities to permit a broader array of housing types and the Department of Commerce provides model ordinances.
• Transit-oriented zoning bills require cities to allow higher-density housing near major transit.
• State housing trust fund and regulatory reforms give local jurisdictions more tools to address affordability.
  These state reforms align with the federal ROAD Act’s zoning-streamlining and development-incentive provisions.

Why This Matters to REALTORS®

Together, national and state reforms create stronger markets for new listings, affordable ownership options, infill projects, and design innovations such as pattern books. For Washington REALTORS®, the timing is critical: the next 12–24 months are likely to be a transition period where zoning changes mature, state-level funds become available, comprehensive plans are updated, and federal pilots begin.

What to Watch

• How state agencies implement model ordinances and whether local jurisdictions adopt them quickly.
• Whether the federal pilot programs under the ROAD Act award funding to Washington jurisdictions and partner with the state’s departmental initiatives.
• How the Tri-Cities region responds: with skilled labor availability, financing for small-dollar mortgages, and local permitting alignment, the region could secure an advantage in attracting new developments.