As you might remember Smart Growth Seattle has appealed a proposed downzone of the city’s low-rise zones by Councilmember Sally Clark and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD). The City moved to dismiss our appeal on the grounds that we didn’t actually comment on the Determination of Non-Significance (DNS). We countered with our own response explaining that we did comment on the downzone and a local builder also commented on the DNS. The City countered with another response, but rather than just limiting their response to the relevant legal issues about timing and verifying standing of our appeal, the DPD went one step further, suggesting that this whole Smart Growth Seattle thing is just a “creature of the internet.” You can read the document here: W-14-001 Reply-2

In his declaration accompanying this notice, Mr. [Bill] Mills of DPD states that visited the website of Smart Growth Seattle and found no obvious way to join that organization. Further, the website contains no information about membership or corporate structure. It appears that the website is more like a personal blog for Roger Valdez to air his views on urban planning issues . . . Smart Growth Seattle is . . . just Roger Valdez by another name.

There are many problems with this “investigation” conducted by Mr. Mills. One would think he would have used the Googles to find out more about the organization, the numerous mentions in the press explaining what Smart Growth Seattle does and why, and perhaps even looked at the City’s own Ethics and Elections website where I am registered as a lobbyist and reports who are funders are. He could have also checked with the IRS and found that we are a 501(c)4 organization.

He could have also just read the “About Us” tab to find out who our sponsors are, or just had his eyeballs wander over there to the right.

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There he would at least have seen the  logos of our sponsors without even having to take another click. But no, everything you see here is simply me making stuff up about urban planning. Well we all, and I think even DPD, know that isn’t true. All you have to do is read any comment section that takes me to task for who supports our organization.

So we decided to ask our supporters to let Mr. Mills know that, yes, there really are people, lots of people, behind what we do here at Smart Growth Seattle. We asked that they just send a simple e-mail to Mr. Mills with the words, “I support Smart Growth Seattle” in the subject line.

Instead we saw an outpouring of authentic support. I am posting a selection of the many, many comments that are awaiting Mr. Mills in his inbox when he gets back to the office next week. This isn’t about Mr. Mills or me. It’s about the fact that DPD decided to take a single look at our website and determine that we have no support because there are no membership forms or organization charts on the website. It betrays both a willful attempt to denigrate the hundreds of developers and builders that align with Smart Growth Seattle and the thousands of people looking for housing of all types all over the city.

So if you support what we do and the idea that we need more housing, send Mr. Mills an e-mail with “I support Smart Growth Seattle” in the subject line and join your many colleagues and neighbors who are telling DPD what they think about they’re efforts to discredit the work we’re doing.

William.Mills@Seattle.gov

A Sample of Statements of Support for Smart Growth Seattle

I just wanted to make sure you know real people support SGS.  I don’t work for a developer, but I think the most sustainable action our city can take is to make it faster, easier, and cheaper to build as many units as possible in the city limits.  SGS seems to be one of the few organizations working toward this goal.

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Smart Growth Seattle has been very active in providing reasoned analysis of housing issues.

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I wanted to let you know that I fully support Smart Growth Seattle. I have been in the Real Estate business since 2004 and would not have a career if it wasn’t for new construction, building, small lot in fill development, and the pioneers backing Smart Growth. They are real and very alive.

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I just wanted to let you know that I am a real person and not a “Creature of the internet”. I support smart growth Seattle and really appreciate all the hard work they are doing to help the housing market keep up with demand. The market has spoken, and we need more housing!

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Smart Growth Seattle is well supported in the community. I gather 250 people signed their petition on housing. Personally, I think Roger Valdez and his team are surfacing a valuable perspective in our civic conversation on housing in Seattle.

It would be a shame to discount one of the most data-driven voices in the dialogue.

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I just wanted to reach out and let you know that Smart Growth Seattle has my (and thousands of others) full support and seems to be the only entity that voice’s logical solutions to Seattle’s growth now and into the future.  Please listen to the voice of SGS.  We need to learn from the mistakes of other fast growing and expensive cities like San Francisco and New York where rents are out of control and development over regulations and rent control are the primary reason behind it.

Let’s make Seattle a city that shows the rest of the country how to do it right.

I totally support and align my business with Smart Growth Seattle.

It is not just a creature of the internet. It is made up of the largest and most active group of in-fill builders in the City of Seattle. If you took the time to see who is a part of Smart Growth Seattle, and the % of projects and new homes that this groups creates, you would be impressed. I would say that well over 50% of the new homes/town homes being developed are by builders associated with Smart Growth Seattle.

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I’m glad that Roger has taken it upon himself to organize around these smart growth concepts and no, this is not just a made up “creature of the internet” with no real people behind it.  I can only speak for myself of course, but I would guess that there are tens if not hundreds of thousands of people who would agree with these concepts as well. Please let’s all continue to move forward and not let a small angry mob stop the Planning Department from Planning, which is what it’s supposed to do.

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We need more housing, and we need more housing now. We also need housing to be affordable for our middle and lower class residence who are being priced out of our Great City. Stop catering to the rich by keeping Seattle prices artificially high by stifling our ability to build for the people.

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Please understand that Smart Growth Seattle is not a “Creature of the Internet” as you’ve stated but rather a large group of Seattle’s leader’s in Housing Development.

Our group consists of a majority of the Builders and Developers that build 90% of all the In-Fill Housing in our great city.

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I absolutely support Smart Growth Seattle.  I believe they truly are an advocate for Smart Growth in Seattle.

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It appears as though you are seeking confirmation that there are actual supporters of the Smart Growth Seattle efforts to appeal the City’s proposed changes to Lowrise development. Please count me in as a serious supporter of what Smart Growth is doing and what they represent.

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I and most or all of the new home builders (that includes apartments, townhomes, row houses and single family) support the work of Smart Growth Seattle.

Why DPD can’t fathom that it is a real entity is beyond me. We finally have an organized structure to represent our concerns. The Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties also fully supports Smart Growth Seattle.

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I’d like you to take the side of those of us out there beating the bushes every day to make a living and provide affordable housing to the Majority of Seattleites. The work that Smart Growth Seattle does promotes policies for more Housing Options- can’t you see your way to endorse their truly important work.

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In this case, I respectfully argue that your notion that SGS might be a “creature of the Internet” is incorrect. The many people involved might not carry cards stating their allegiance, but are nonetheless real and deeply engaged, be it in design, development or ownership and, in my time spent working with them I have yet to meet a pretender.

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Please recognize that as a responsible and sustainable Seattle developer, we rely on Smart Growth Seattle to keep us informed and represent our interests on zoning and legislative issues.  We firmly believe the proposed low rise downzone is a taking of value from property owners and plan to vigorously oppose it.  To that end, we’ll appeal a “for” vote by the council and will look to Roger at Smart Growth to represent us as a group and push for a reasonable solution to this question on zoning.

Seattle needs to encourage responsible growth and Roger is our advocate toward that end.

Please feel to contact me at any time should you want more information on our position regarding this initiative or future zoning questions.

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I support the efforts of Smart Growth Seattle.  The City’s efforts to downzone L-3 is a mistake and is bad public policy.  We need upzoning to accommodate the rapid growth in our city, not downzoning.

I support Smart Growth in Seattle, I see the need for housing that is affordable for the working class folks to be able to live in the heart of Seattle as well as other surrounding neighborhoods.

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I don’t know the ins and outs of it, but I heard there was some question as to the legitimacy of Smart Growth Seattle.

I have found it very helpful in making me aware of issues & events that matter a great deal to me as a homeowner and voter in Seattle.

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The population is increasing in Seattle and more housing is needed.  I build housing.  Feel free to join the builder’s community in Seattle at the MBA dinners or Builder’s Council breakfast to learn what issues we are facing with the DPD and why we support Smart Growth Seattle.

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Just writing to let you know that my wife and I are supporters of Smart Growth Seattle. We feel strongly that we need to accommodate our city’s growth with more housing. Please consider Smart Growth’s recent appeal.  Thanks for your attention.

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We need more housing of all types that create vibrant communities. I support Smart Growth Seattle.

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I absolutely support Smart Growth Seattle.  I believe they truly are an advocate for smart growth in Seattle.

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Another voter for Smart Growth Seattle.

I am one of many Seattle residents (and I am not a home builder myself) who wants to see more housing built in Seattle.

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I want to say that Smart Growth Seattle is a real thing I’m one of the local builders and I am very disheartend by how long things are taking to get through the DPD process.

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Roger Valdez and his colleagues are not alone; they are simply stating the obvious much more clearly and forcefully than is the custom here in Seattle.

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I read an excerpt from a document filed on behalf of your department that stated that Smart Growth Seattle was more or less a figment of someone’s imagination.  There seems to be a theme at your department of minimization of the builders and developers in Seattle, which is evidenced in such parochial language as “creatures of the internet”.  We are not nameless and faceless nor are the small group of our supporters such as Seattle Smart Growth.

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Roger has been a great advocate, not only of local builders, but working class people of all classes and color.

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SmarthGrowth is doing what it can to fill Seattle’s present leadership void that surely, if not filled or re-directed, will cause Seattle to become San Francisco in terms of housing affordability in a few short years.

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It is not just a creature of the internet. It is made up of the largest and most active group of in-fill builders in the City of Seattle. If you took the time to see who is a part of Smart Growth Seattle, and the % of projects and new homes that this groups creates, you would be impressed. I would say that well over 50% of the new homes/town homes being developed are by builders associated with Smart Growth Seattle.

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Providing housing for our residents is paramount and I stay extremely involved with research on this subject, and as part of that research I stay close to Smart Growth Seattle.

Smart Growth Seattle is helping many developers, which in turn are helping residents find housing solutions – which is key to the development and health of our city.