Washington House Legalizes Corner Cafes, Bodegas Statewide

Washington neighborhoods may soon be flooded with cozy cafes, neighborhood markets and corner stores thanks to a nearly unanimous bill passed by the Washington House on Thursday. In a 94-2 vote, the House approved Bill 1175, legalizing neighborhood cafes and corner stores on residential lots throughout the state. Cities and towns in major urban areas with fewer than 5,000 residents are exempt from the legislation. 

The Urbanist reports: 

While targeted at fostering cafes and bodegas, House Bill 1175, sponsored by Representative Mark Klicker (R-16th LD, Walla Walla), requires most cities and towns in Washington to allow a fairly broad set of commercial uses in residential areas. A cafe is defined as an establishment with at least 500 square feet of gross floor area that must serve food along with any alcoholic beverages, and the goods a “neighborhood store” sells are “not limited to” food, beverages, and household items.

Klicker deemed the move a boon for both walkability and community cohesion. 

According the The Urbanist, cities have the ability to regulate the establishments, regulating square footage, requiring parking (as long as the “regulations are not infeasible”) and limiting operation hours — as long as businesses are able to be open for at least 12 hours consecutively.

Read The Urbanist’s full report below.