Last year you may remember State Representative Gerry Pollett’s efforts to pass legislation that would have provoked more costly appeals of new housing in single-family zones.

We posted about the legislation then and urged people to contact Representative Pollett to urge him to stop pushing the legislation.

Fortunately, last year, that legislation failed.

This year it’s the same legislation and it is getting a hearing today in Olympia. What does the legislation do? It mandates public notice for lot divisions to build new housing. What’s so bad about that? The neighbors aren’t worried about just knowing about new homes, they want to stop them from being built. Here’s what they say (from One House, One Lot):

Pollett plays the “it’s only fair to notify people” trope, but his wealthy constituents, who can afford protracted legal battles against new homes, really just want a head start to lawyer up, delay projects, and protect their own property values which are sure to go up as long as housing is scarce.

But here’s the catch: builders won’t have to defend against the rich neighbors lawsuits, the City will since it’s the City’s decision is what is at issue. That’s why the City is opposed to Pollett’s damaging legislation. 

Please send a simple message to Pollett, Speaker Frank Chopp, the Mayor, the Council, and the Co-Chairs of the Mayor’s Housing Committee:

RE: HB 1084

Dear Representative Pollett,

Please don’t play politics with housing in Seattle. Your proposal, HB 1084, would simply give some of your constituents a head start in trying to stop new housing in single-family neighborhoods. The proponents of your legislation have made it plain that they want notice so they can file appeals that will slow or stop new housing. This comes at a time when the Mayor of Seattle is trying to work on local solutions to our housing issues. Your legislation would make this effort more complicated and would undermine local efforts to increase housing supply and choice. Please shelve this bill and work with Speaker Chopp (who chairs the steering Committee for the Mayor’s task force) Mayor Murray, and the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Committee. Let’s work with each other to make housing affordable, not against new housing.