Statement on New Rent Restriction Legislation
New legislation will be proposed this week on controlling when landlords can raise rents. This is a joint statement prepared by Smart Growth Seattle and the Rental Housing Association of Washington. At a time when there is deep concern about housing prices in Seattle, the City Council and Mayor should use every available existing tool […]
Here We Go Again: Commercial Rent Control Still On the Table
A proposal for commercial rent control is back! Bad ideas seem to thrive in Seattle. Or I should say, old ideas. Don’t like the price of something? Freeze it in place. Don’t try to understand or address the underlying issues about why prices are going up or even ask, “Are they going up that fast?” […]
Lot Suit: Local Builder Challenges City Rule that Increases Housing Prices
‘Abutting lot’ requirement illegal under state law Imagine if your neighbor didn’t bother to sort their recycling from their compost but you got charged a fine – even though you followed the rules. That wouldn’t be fair, but that’s similar to what the City Council did last year when it passed legislation that created a strange new requirement that […]
