Twilight Zoning in Bellingham: Infill Tool Kit Hearing on Monday

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Infill Tool Kit Hearing on Monday - Come and Testify!

It is time to put the Infill ToolKit on hold. There is no rush. The city council should hear that from its citizens on Monday, 29 June at 7:00. You can read the Herald article on the subject by clicking here. Agenda documents for the hearing on Monday can be found by clicking here.

This piece of legislation has been mashed through a so-called public process that has been controlled totally by the city from its inception with Planning Academy I. The Infill ToolKit had little, if any, grass roots origins. Grass roots efforts have been mainly mounted to oppose the TookKit in part and to ask for a delay in further consideration until the city can figure out the manner in which it will enforce rules on these creations once they are built. It is time the city envision the evolution of these ToolKit items as the years go by and half of the town houses, cottage homes, duplexes, triplexes, etc. become rentals whose landlords are not licensed and whose structures are never inspected for the slightest health or safety conditions.

I invite my readers to examine some of my prior posts (click on the links below) on the Infill ToolKit with its problematic origins and future. I also invite you to attend the hearing on the 29^th to voice your opinion.

Whack-a-ToolKit

Hearing on Infill ToolKit

Sunnyland’s Discussion on Infill

Alice in ADUland

Infill ToolKit Still in ICU

Infill ToolKit – Municipal Rosemary’s Baby

Epiphany at Planning

Surely You’re Joking?

City Releases Draft Bellingham Infill ToolKit –What is the Point?

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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.