GHOST LAW

🏠 The Duplex Doctrine

Any single-family home may be converted to a duplex (two units) by right, without a public hearing, variance, or special permission. One unit may be up to 1,200 sq ft. Both units must meet standard building codes.

"The single-family zoning bubble has burst. It's time to let duplexes happen."

Status: it is now state law in Washington and Idaho. Washington lets a city allow middle housing on any lot that permits a single-family house, with standards no more restrictive than for a detached house (RCW 36.70A.536), and obliges cities to allow accessory dwelling units (RCW 36.70A.680). Idaho says no city may ban ADUs and requires qualifying ones to be approved as a matter of right (I.C. 67-6541), with an ordinance deadline of 1 February 2027.
Does your city allow duplexes? Check your lot →

The number that should end the argument. Whitman County's own Comprehensive Plan, adopted July 2022, says it plainly: "Unincorporated Whitman County has no multifamily housing units." Most of the county is unincorporated. So the answer there is not "we are careful about density". It is no.

🏗️ The Build-Out Registry

Every residential lot in Pullman and Moscow, scored for what the statute already lets you build on it: an internal ADU, a detached ADU, the garage turned into a cottage, the house split into a duplex, two to four units on one lot, a zero-lot-line split, a deck across the easement you share with your neighbour, a rooftop deck, a pool.

"Almost every house can hold another household. The law agrees. The map knows where."

12,889 lots scored from the city's own zoning map, its water and sewer service territories, its building inventory, the county's appraisal records and the county's easements.
Open the build-out ledger →

🏪 The Corner Store Liberation Act

Any residential zone may permit a corner store (up to 2,500 sq ft) selling food, coffee, books, or similar goods, by right, provided it closes by 9pm and has no drivethrough.

"The corner store was the original third place. We killed it with parking minimums. Let's bring it back."

This is how walkable neighborhoods work. This is why people don't need cars.
The corner store in Moscow was denied this. That ghost still haunts.

🅿️ The Open Parking Act

Parking minimums are abolished for all uses within 1/2 mile of a transit stop. Surface parking lots must plant one tree per 10 spaces and cannot exceed 2 acres without a special review.

"A parking lot at 3am is a plaza that hasn't happened yet."

Parking minimums are the #1 killer of walkable neighborhoods, affordable housing, and common sense.
Every parking space costs roughly $25,000 to build. We require them anyway.

🌾 The Public Family Farm Act

Any parcel of 5+ acres currently in agricultural use cannot be rezoned to residential unless it is within 1 mile of an existing sewer line and has no viable agricultural use remaining.

"Every acre of sprawl is a calorie that never got grown. We're protecting the future food supply."

Farmland protection is food security. It's also the most effective way to stop leapfrog development.
Seven generations forward. Think about it.

🏢 The Adaptive Reuse Simplification Act

Converting an existing building (office to housing, retail to mixed-use, etc.) requires only a simple administrative review — not a public hearing — if the building is structurally sound.

"The most sustainable building is the one that already exists."

This is how dead malls become apartments. How empty offices become studios.
The process should take 30 days, not 18 months.

🏚️ The Vacancy Registry & Revival Incentive

Any building vacant for 12+ months must register with the city. After 24 months, the city may offer a revival tax credit, expedite permitting, or partner with a community organization for temporary activation.

"Vacancy is not a private problem. It's a community problem that the private owner is having."

Cities including Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Detroit have vacancy registries.
GHOSTO's twist: add a community activation pathway, not just a penalty.