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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Low-Income Housing is Key to State Rep. Nelson's Bill

News   January 20, 2009 at 2:23 pm Josh Feit

Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-34, West Seattle, Vashon) is introducing  a bill in the Local Government Committee today that would require transit oriented development around mass transit hubs.

TOD rules include not holding developers to a minimum parking space requirement, upping net densities for allowable units per acre, and mandating mixed use development with affordability requirements.

This last requirement about affordable housing has reportedly turned Speaker of the House Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford, Capitol Hill, U-District) into a fan of Nelson’s bill. Chopp is strong supporter of low-income housing. His support this year is a win for environmentalists who are pushing the bill. When they pushed a similar bill last year, Chopp helped kill it (follow the tortured saga here) because his supporters in the Building Idustry Association of Washington (BIAW) didn’t like it (too many building regulations.) With Chopp potentially in their corner this time around, the bill has a much better chance.

Ironically, affordable housing issues may also doom the bill. Vocal low-income housing advocate John Fox of the Seattle Displacement Coalition doesn’t like the bill because he believes the density requirements lead directly to gentrification. 

The local urban policy blog, HugeAssCity, strongly disagrees with Fox and pointed out that Fox overstated the impact of the proposed upzone by confusing net density (which measures units on developable land only) with gross density (which measures units over an entire area). By subbing in the higher net density number for a typically much-lower gross density number, Fox made it seem as if Seattle would become Brooklyn. 

Rep. Nelson has three co-sponsors: Reps. Jamie Pedersen (D-43, Capitol Hill, Wallingford, U-District), Roger Goodman (D-45, Seattle Eastside Suburbs), and last year’s prime sponsor Geoff Simpson (D-47, Covington, Black Diamond). Sen. Chris Marr (D-6, Spokane) is sponsoring a Senate version.


  • http://seattletransitblog.com Andrew

    This bill sort of forces the hand of cities in the zoning battle, and helps ensure that mass transit stations don’t becoem under-utilized from a transit oriented development standpoint.

  • Deb Eddy

    Josh: Sharon’s bill directs cities to do something SPECIFIC, i.e., an OUTCOME. I’m not familiar with the details, but would probably approve of it (if I were still on Local Government, which I’m not, so it doesn’t matter).

    Last year’s original bill just created piles of paper and appeals to the Growth Management Hearings Boards. That’s not an outcome, that’s just process. Process doesn’t house anybody; process doesn’t support a bus or rail route or reduce GHGs. I will defend my re-writing of that originally lousy bill. This year’s bills are MUCH BETTER.

    Give some thought to getting a little more familiarity with the Growth Management Act, how it actually works. Maybe apply for a position on your city’s planning commission (they provide a course). I think it would help you distinguish (and thus more effectively advocate for) good legislation.

    /deb eddy

  • Deb Eddy

    Josh: Sharon’s bill directs cities to do something SPECIFIC, i.e., an OUTCOME. I’m not familiar with the details, but would probably approve of it (if I were still on Local Government, which I’m not, so it doesn’t matter).

    Last year’s original bill just created piles of paper and appeals to the Growth Management Hearings Boards. That’s not an outcome, that’s just process. Process doesn’t house anybody; process doesn’t support a bus or rail route or reduce GHGs. I will defend my re-writing of that originally lousy bill. This year’s bills are MUCH BETTER.

    Give some thought to getting a little more familiarity with the Growth Management Act, how it actually works. Maybe apply for a position on your city’s planning commission (they provide a course). I think it would help you distinguish (and thus more effectively advocate for) good legislation.

    /deb eddy

  • http://seattletransitblog.com/ Andrew

    This bill sort of forces the hand of cities in the zoning battle, and helps ensure that mass transit stations don't becoem under-utilized from a transit oriented development standpoint.