The city has been awarding an eight-year tax exemption for all new housing construction for about a decade in an effort to offset a chronic housing shortage.
A bill in the Washington House is proposing the creation of a new property tax category of 4% on property valued at over $5 million.
Proponents of House Bill 1628 (HB 1628) say wealthy people who sell property valued at over $5 million can afford to pay the additional tax rate...
The Mayor said concerns about single family R-1 neighborhoods being drastically altered with new duplexes replacing single family homes or an influx of ADU's would be a matter addressed through code compliance.
In Wenatchee, zoning already exists in many residential areas to permit a duplex or a four-plex behind the house if there's enough room. Design standards require it to look like the neighborhood and fit in with the houses around it.
A recent report by the Department of Commerce found that 39-percent of people surveyed said housing and homelessness are the top problems facing the state.