Running Scared: Clark Pushes Low-Rise Legislation
The campaign season has begun, and it should be no surprise that housing is already featuring in one of the contests. Noted growth and microhousing opponent Bill Bradburd has announced he’s running against Councilmember Sally Clark. Clark, not particularly a friend of microhousing or growth either, has filed to run for one of the two citywide council seats. It’s also rumored that Clark wants off the Council, but hasn’t been able to find an alternative job or appointment.
Still, she seems highly motivated to keep the job she has. In fact, she and Councilmember O’Brien are pushing to bring back low-rise legislation which we appealed last year. Wouldn’t it be better to have the low-rise proposal with it’s significant reduction of housing capacity in the low-rise zone be considered by the Mayor’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) Committee? We think so. But clearly Clark thinks Bradburd would be able to use the Council’s not passing the legislation in the campaign. Here’s the e-mail we sent out last night urging people to contact the Mayor’s office to not forward the low-rise legislation to Council.
Clark and O’Brien should know that this is too important for politics. The Mayor’s Committee needs a chance to factor in the destructive legislation in its deliberations about overall housing need in Seattle. The City itself has said the legislation reduces density and housing in the low-rise zone; is that a good idea at a time of increasing demand for housing throughout the city? And should job security for incumbent Councilmembers trump new housing and the benefits of growth for big parts of the city?
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Hello,
Subject: HALA Committee and Proposed Low-Rise Legislation
To: Faith Pettis and David Wertheimer, Co-Chairs HALA Committee
Leslie Price, HALA Committee Staff
We support the Mayor’s efforts and yours to develop a better sense of what the most important issues and problems in Seattle’s housing market. These are complex issues and we know that you are working diligently to develop some smart and compassionate proposals that address challenges regular people in Seattle face when trying to find housing.
However, there are efforts to push legislation in Olympia and at the City Council that would profoundly impact housing. For example, Councilmembers O’Brien and Clark are planning to pass legislation that would profoundly impact housing in the city’s low-rise zones. We think the HALA Committee should have a chance to discuss that proposal fully before changes are made that will reduce housing supply in neighborhoods best suited for growth.
Please urge the Mayor not to forward proposed legislation to the City Council but, instead, include the legislation in the broader discussion of the HALA Committee.
Thank you.
