Twilight Zoning in Bellingham: Where is Louise? At-Large Candidate on the Lam?

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Where is Louise? At-Large Candidate on the Lam?

Louise, quid fit?*

Louise Bjornson, my dear readers, is missing-in-action. She is the only candidate for office who has not responded to my request for a comment on the lack of enforcement on the single family zoning issue. I have visited her website with the expectation that she may have posted some comment on the question there. But I found nada, zip, zero, bupkis – i.e., nothing except the following which is tangentially related:

"Healthy neighborhoods are the building blocks of a healthy city.” says Louise.

Louise is well known for her dedicated participation in neighborhood and community meetings.

“For me, being informed and accessible is fundamental to doing a good job as a Council member.”, also says Louise.

Louise, I know you show up. I see you everywhere. You always say hi and take my name, phone number and email address but when I am I going to hear back from you?

In addition, from her candidate website comes this. “Louise and her family have lived in Bellingham for forty one years. Before her election to the Council, she served for five years on the Bellingham Planning Commission and for twelve years as the Birchwood Representative on the Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Commission. Louise has supported efforts to ensure neighborhoods retain their character and remain safe and livable.”

Great! After 41 years you ought to have just oodles to say about non-enforcement of the Municipal Code. Five years on the Bellingham Planning Commission should entitle us to hear your views about how planning is going awry since the very definition of single family zoning is meaningless. Help us, Louise! How did you advise the mayor on this subject when you were on his Neighborhood Advisory Commission? Tell us, Louise!

Our neighborhoods are not healthy, safe and livable unless we can stem the spread of illegal rooming houses. Attending meetings is not accomplishment. Being informed and accessible is mandatory but if no action follows, where are you? Where are we? Who will lead us to the promised land of single family neighborhoods and deliver us from the scourge of rooming houses?

Louise, what are we to do? Like Diogones, we wander the agora in daylight with a torch, seeking an honest man (woman). Speak to us.

*"What's happening?"

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The Rationale for Rental Licensing

There is the definitive experience of cities that have already adopted rental licensing and inspections in the face of exactly the same opposition as we saw in Bellingham over the last decade. Ultimately, each of these cities was proven correct in its resolve to move ahead to protect the safety and health of the renters. We already know that the city of Pasco, WA found that 15% of the units inspected under their program had serious life/safety issues. 10% had mold problems. A full 85% had problems of varying degrees. The city of Gresham, OR performed over 1600 inspections in 2009 and issued, as a result, over 4,000 citations. Lexington, KY performed inspections of units near the University of Kentucky and found that 50% had life/safety issues. Sacramento, CA began an inspection program during which one third of the units inspected had serious safety and health issues. The question why does anyone believe that the condition of rental housing here in Bellingham does not mirror that which is found in cities that have the statistics to show that time and time again the condition of rentals in our cities is problematic? All we have had to date from those who oppose licensing are broad statements by the landlords and their paladins that are completely and utterly unsubstantiated. The Zonemaven has searched in vain for the horror stories that these opponents of licensing and inspections have predicted. On the other hand, The Zonemaven did find over 100 cities that have licensing AND inspections without the catastrophic effect for the rental markets that the landlords would have you believe. (See this blog's sidebar at bottom left for list)

One Reason Illegal Rooming Houses Do Not Work

The limit for unrelated persons at a single family home rental is three residents. Leases are signed by three people who then invite additional renters to join them to lower per capita rental rates. The perverse effect is that rental rates tend to rise under these circumstances making it difficult for single families to rent single family homes. Some local rental agencies facilitate this practice.

"To say that a family is so equivalent to a ragtag collection of college roommates as to require identical treatment in zoning decisions defies the reality of the place of the family in American society, despite any changes that institution has undergone in recent years. Only the most cynical among us would say that the American family has devolved to the point of no greater importance or consideration in governmental decision making than a group of college roommates." (Stegeman v. City of Ann Arbor)

That being said, accommodation ought to be made for protected classes, especially non-traditional unions and group houses for the disabled. These classes are laid out in federal and Washington State law.