State names lieutenant governor to lead housing recovery; officials outline options to speed rebuilding

Governor Bob Ferguson said he has asked Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck to help lead the state's housing recovery work following the wildfires, and officials discussed incentives and funding options to accelerate housing construction and conversions.

"I've asked Denny Heck, our lieutenant governor, to help lead our efforts on this," Ferguson said, noting Heck's prior role leading housing recommendations during the transition and the state's record investments in the housing trust fund. Mayor Brown and other officials said short-term housing (hotels and short-term rentals) is near capacity and that the city is compiling damage reports and exploring conversions of office or parking structures to housing where feasible.

Officials said the state will look at reprioritizing existing housing funds and will convene partners to identify projects that can be expedited; they emphasized that documentation of damage and local incentives will be important inputs as funding and permit decisions are considered.