OLYMPIA, Wash. – A housing bill that would legalize duplexes and fourplexes in most Washington neighborhoods has been approved by the state Senate.

HB 1110 passed on a 35-14 vote on Tuesday, April 11th, with about a half-dozen Republicans joining Democrats to pass it.

The bill would override local zoning rules that have long kept large areas in cities for only single-family homes.

Governor Jay Inslee and other supporters say increasing housing supply is critical to ease a statewide housing crisis that’s seen home prices soar and the rise of homelessness.

Opponents argue that planning and land use decisions should be handled locally and that the bill would be a gift to developers without doing enough to increase affordable housing.

The bill will return to the House for a vote on the Senate’s version, which is more lenient in the requirements it places on smaller cities.

The state Department of Commerce estimates Washington needs to build an additional one million homes over the next two-plus decades to keep pace with population growth.