Young people are flying the nest with nowhere to land | The Olympian https://www.theolympian.com/opinion/op-ed/article274308245.html
#Homes4WA #olympia #waleg
#Homes4WA
When HB 1110 passed yesterday, there was a brief back and forth between legislators about how historically accurate are our exclusionary single family zones. They aren't at all. In fact, they are a recent invention of downzoning efforts over the past 50 years since the Fair Housing Act.
Before the 1970s, barely anyone talked about downzoning neighborhoods
https://www.olympiatime.com/2023/02/how-our-history-of-downzoning-is.html
The housing crisis was caused in no small part because after the 1970s we downzoned many of our communities to single family only zoning.
This has caused displacement of poor families and people of color across our region, even inside reservations that were impacted by racist allotment laws
#washingtonstate #seattle #waleg #Homes4WA
https://crosscut.com/news/2023/04/was-suquamish-citizens-are-being-priced-their-own-reservation
One thing I’d really like to hear explicitly articulated is why people living in this building are less worthy members of our society when it’s a 6-plex (as in the picture) compared to when it was a 1-plex. Looking at you @AWCities. #MissingMiddleHousing #Homes4WA
This is the exact same thing that happened across western Washington after the Fair Housing Act and other local ordinances finally explicitly outlawed racial discrimination in housing in the 1970s
I say finally, because Seattle failed to pass an open housing ordinance in the 1960s without an organized opposition
When we talk about the #homes4wa bills in #waleg, we need to keep in mind the historic context of post FHA downzones that fortified racial segregation
https://www.olympiatime.com/2023/02/how-our-history-of-downzoning-is.html?m=1
/5
Whenever someone in #waleg mentions local control in the #Homes4WA debate:
"Local control does not even require overt racial hatred. That is what is so insidious about it. It will automatically perpetuate racial segregation."
https://furmancenter.org/research/iri/essay/housing-discrimination-and-local-control
This has been true in Washington for an entire generation. Many Washington legislators came of age in an era of #localcontrol making housing segregation worse
https://www.olympiatime.com/2023/02/how-our-history-of-downzoning-is.html?m=1
“We are living in more segregated neighborhoods today than we ever did at the end of redlining. We’re essentially creating our own new version of segregation in our cities and states based on land use codes.”
https://www.sightline.org/2023/03/08/habitat-for-humanity-goes-all-in-for-multifamily-housing/
And the vast majority of those restrictions were put in place in the last 50 years since housing discrimination became illegal
https://www.olympiatime.com/2023/02/how-our-history-of-downzoning-is.html?m=1
People will literally advocate for sprawl before density
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/housing-shortage-beyond-city-limits/
One of my favorite public comments of all time to fight density. This area is laughingly described as "semi rural"
What he's commenting on is a small development of mostly single family homes with a few duplexes
This framing ignores a few historical threads:
1. Single family zoning has not been the historic norm. The neighborhoods impacted were either downzoned to SF or built since the 70s
2. There has never been a discussion about adding an affordablilty element to SF construction
3. Displacement has occurred for decades because of (or by design) since the downsizing efforts started in the 70s
The state is making a strong showing.
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RT @danbertolet
By 49-0, the WA Senate just passed SB 5412 that exempts housing projects from SEPA review and requires "clear and objective standards" for design review.
Thank you Senator Salomon!
Wild to see legislators geeking out so heavily on housing policy with this wonky bill!
#Homes4WA
https://twitter.com/danbertolet/status/1632878419439669248
Dear self proclaimed "environmentalists" with concerns over the #homes4wa #WALeg bill. We can either build homes in our existing cities, or we can continue to sprawl into our forests and farms. Which side are you on? I'm on team build homes in cities, and protect 🌲🌲🌲&👩🏻🌾👨🏽🌾🌾
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RT @GordonOfSeattle
A new housing development near Lake Stevens is bulldozing a forest and calling itself The Timbers.
Is this sprawling, car-dependent…
https://twitter.com/GordonOfSeattle/status/1229596813130252295
This is why the @jessdbateman & co. #Homes4WA #HB1110 bill needs your support.
To preserve our shared environment, we need you to call and email your representatives to make more abundant housing all across the state.
https://futurewise.salsalabs.org/HB1110EmailtoAppropriationsCommittee/index.html
TFW your district is being exceptionally well-represented in Olympia.
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RT @juliagrantreed
Wow! 551 people signed in PRO showing their support for #HB1517 and transit oriented development in WA. Thanks for being there for #Homes4WA and thanks to @MarkoLiias for bringing me on the team!
https://twitter.com/juliagrantreed/status/1623130557159981057
I had to stop by Safeway last night on my way home. It was 11pm. As you can imagine the parking lot was EMPTY. 1/4
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RT @YesHomes4WA
Let's talk about #parking, baby. Let's talk about #affordability.
See what we did there?
#WAleg #MoreHomes #Homes4WA https://twitter.com/danbertolet/status/1607441277536325632
https://twitter.com/YesHomes4WA/status/1611852428013457410
WA State has a crisis of housing affordability. This hurts younger people, hurts our economy, hurts the competitiveness of new companies in WA, makes us less inventive, and increases income inequality. We need more housing. We can build up or out. There's very little more space to build out without hurting our environment, we need to re-zone and help the people of WA afford homes! #costofhome #waleg #homes4wa https://habitatforhumanityseattle.quorum.us/campaign/44014/
The Washington State Legislature is soon to be back in session and missing middle housing zoning reform is headed to the forefront of policy debate with a new bill by Rep. Jessica Bateman. We break it down in this piece. #Homes4WA #Waleg
Seattle’s inner billionaire sprawl cities of Mercer Island, Medina, Hunts Point, et al get a pass on housing people and oppose transit. It’s no surprise that they are primary culprits of climate arson in the region. #Waleg #Homes4WA
RT @LukeDistelhorst@twitter.com
This is an awesome courtyard apartment building near us in #Edmonds. Maybe the tenants should know, tho...
🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/LukeDistelhorst/status/1590721509999644673
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