This year’s housing bill targeting single-family neighborhoods in Edmonds and across the state, House Bill 1110, has been voted out of the House Committee on Housing and will be heard in the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 1:30 p.m.
Please take a few moments to show your opposition to House Bill 1110 by signing in “Con” by 12:30 p.m. Tuesday), Feb. 21.
HB 1110 would allow, in cities like Edmonds with a population of at least 25,000 but less than 75,000, all single-family zoning, to be eliminated to allow at least two market-rate housing units on all single-family lots and up to four market-rate housing units per single-family lot if you live one-half mile from a park, public or private school, commuter train station or major transit stop. Cities would not be able to require any off-street parking if these multifamily duplex, fourplex, townhouses or grouped detached “cottage” houses are located one-half mile from a major transit stop, which includes the Edmonds Sounder train station.
At the Washington State Department of Commerce presentation on housing need and capacity on Feb. 15, 2023, the City of Kirkland showed as being “affordable,” new middle housing market-rate two to four “cottage housing” clusters selling for $1.3 million to $2.5 million each.
HB 1110 will allow for more and more of exactly that kind of high-priced housing density all over Edmonds at the expense of knocking down more affordable modest homes and removal of Edmonds’ protective tree canopy that exists mostly in our single-family neighborhoods.
Sign in here and enter information to complete sign in:
- Enter your position on HB 1110: Con
- Fill in your information
- Check “I’m not a robot” and click “Submit Registration”
Forward this now to as many people as you know to comment “oppose” to eliminating our single-family zoning or it may be gone forever. Please act now.
Thank you for advocating on behalf of our cities to keep local control of land-use decisions and for preserving our single-family neighborhoods!
Dr. Michelle Dotsch
Alliance of Citizens for Edmonds (ACE) President
This is a bad bill for Edmonds! Single family zoning will be gone forever. There are better ways to increase density if mandated through the Growth Management Act. Blanket zoning like this is haphazard, lazy and dangerous. Why would Representative Strom Peterson who is an Edmonds resident throw his own city under the bus and eliminate single family zoning?!!! Take a minute and tell him NO! It’s better to keep local control of zoning.
Thank you , Dr. Dotsch!
Ah yes! The Centrally Planned Economy. Because citizens and their municipalities do not know what’s good for them, cannot be trusted to decide their own fate, thus necessitating Mother Olympia to make decisions for them.
The classic definition of insanity: Keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.
How many times do we have to prove to ourselves that the best decisions are made locally?
Look around at the truly spectacular failures in other places that have been subjected to Centrally Planned Economy interference in the housing market by instituting draconian and condescending intervention laws in the area of housing (think rent control and landlord’s loss of rights of ownership as in the city of Seattle) and zoning (think Ballard, Redmond, etc.).
Please, Comrade Peterson, do not go down this path, while stating that you represent my interests. You don’t.
Thank you for posting this and the link to weight in.
It seems likely that these bills in their present form may be bad enough to suggest replacement of this group of Olympia representatives.
If this Bill passes with this tone-deaf, ignore the constituents mechanism, I will be looking for very detailed defense by our representatives of their support. I’m open to listening to their arguments as to why this wrecking ball of a bill ignoring the Growth Management Act and the urban planning it is based on is the best option, but at this point, I can’t imagine that is possible.
I suspect I’ll be looking for better candidates to replace them come election time.
Mr. Brock it is my opinion “can you say the Master Builders Association lobby?”. They have the money to spend on our legislators so that our legislators will change zoning and allow the Association of Builders to build what ever and where ever THEY deem appropriate.
Strom Peterson lost my vote as soon as he supported this bill.
Thank you Ms Dotsch!!!!!
I find it difficult to imagine how Olympia believes that it could be more knowledgeable about the needs of our citizenry, than we who chose to live here. It is imperative that we retain the right to choose the future of our city.
Thank you for posting this.
Thank you so much for keeping us informed. Single family zoning is essential to preserve neighborhoods for families as well as for single people. Children need neighborhoods that are safe and support families. The break down of the family is one of the most devastating aspects of our current culture and legislative agendas. Please help save the family!
Thank you, Dr. Dotsch, for alerting us to this important action to take. It’s shocking and disappointing that Rep. Strom Peterson is sponsoring this bill to seize zoning and land use control away from his own city and give it to the State. As an Edmonds resident and former city councilmember he is well aware of the thoughtful and careful development that our seaside location and unique topography requires. This one-size-fits-all bill will jeopardize our environment, waterfront, salmon and wildlife by allowing building and overbuilding in these fragile places and throughout our community. We will lose our tree canopy and open and green spaces as single family lots are filled up with multiple units. And what about all the traffic and congestion it will bring to our neighborhood streets and downtown?! Our infrastructure is not prepared to take on all this additional development. Edmonds as we know it will be forever changed. Tell Strom NO! Preserve single family zoning and local control!
This bill will eliminate the small town quality of life for which Edmonds is known. I am adamantly opposed to this measure.
I too feel and share the frustration regarding Edmonds resident Rep. Strom Peterson, Marko Liias and Olympia reps and their apparent dismissal and aloofness toward the important housing views of residents, Mayor and Edmonds City Council. This is a huge issue for all of us. What are they thinking? I have no idea. They don’t respond to emails, request for comments, anything. We need a miracle.
A side note, Mr. Peterson after also being unanimously appointed to the vacant Snohomish County Council seat, will also be bringing his communication style, views on housing and other important issues effecting residents to the county level as well.
Here we go again, let’s be honest it’s a money grab for the city, I believe we are line with our GMA, so what other true reason would we the people want to give up our “Edmonds Kind of Day” Don’t tell me it’s for fair market housing! I’m pretty sure 1.5 to 2.5 million dollars isn’t in the category. Be transparent with the citizens that pay for all the services that keeps Edmonds what it is!. Spend time solving the bridge or tunnel over or under the train tracks at the ferry dock. I’m sure others have issues that that affect all of us that need some attention, Forcing multi family in SFR isn’t one of them.