Twilight Zoning in Bellingham: York Neighborhood Rooming House

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

York Neighborhood Rooming House

I received this a few days ago from a woman in the York Neighborhood.

"Hello Dick my name is (removed by request). I live in the York neighborhood, grew up here as a child, moved after getting married, moved away for five years. We purchased Grandma's house on Franklin St. We've been here for twenty three years raised our child here. What a great neighborhood this is except for every thing you stated in your letter. Thank you and HOORAY!! for you. I've called and been down to planning department several times and I don't get any results because as you said they're afraid of being sued. I just can't understand. Why can't our City Attorney … get this single family dwelling. Says there's no way to prove they're unrelated?? We had eight guys all the same age in a house now they should have checked this out but NO they sure didn't. We pay taxes on our homes to be single family. I think that a lot of neighbors right here would be glad to have a meeting with you perhaps all the city neighborhoods that have these problems should get together perhaps we could get something accomplished. Just recently I called building and codes about a building …that was going up and was told that if I had a complaint I needed to come down and fill out a form. In the past they would come and check it out. I just noticed when coming down the alley on Sunday stopped and checked it out and it sure does look like an apartment to me. Going to pursue this. Thank you again for your great letter…"

Must have been a group of octuplets.

Would any of our mayoral or council candidates care to reply to this homeowner? And what does our Planning Department and City Attorney have to tell her about getting rid of this rooming house?

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The Rationale for Rental Licensing

There is the definitive experience of cities that have already adopted rental licensing and inspections in the face of exactly the same opposition as we saw in Bellingham over the last decade. Ultimately, each of these cities was proven correct in its resolve to move ahead to protect the safety and health of the renters. We already know that the city of Pasco, WA found that 15% of the units inspected under their program had serious life/safety issues. 10% had mold problems. A full 85% had problems of varying degrees. The city of Gresham, OR performed over 1600 inspections in 2009 and issued, as a result, over 4,000 citations. Lexington, KY performed inspections of units near the University of Kentucky and found that 50% had life/safety issues. Sacramento, CA began an inspection program during which one third of the units inspected had serious safety and health issues. The question why does anyone believe that the condition of rental housing here in Bellingham does not mirror that which is found in cities that have the statistics to show that time and time again the condition of rentals in our cities is problematic? All we have had to date from those who oppose licensing are broad statements by the landlords and their paladins that are completely and utterly unsubstantiated. The Zonemaven has searched in vain for the horror stories that these opponents of licensing and inspections have predicted. On the other hand, The Zonemaven did find over 100 cities that have licensing AND inspections without the catastrophic effect for the rental markets that the landlords would have you believe. (See this blog's sidebar at bottom left for list)

One Reason Illegal Rooming Houses Do Not Work

The limit for unrelated persons at a single family home rental is three residents. Leases are signed by three people who then invite additional renters to join them to lower per capita rental rates. The perverse effect is that rental rates tend to rise under these circumstances making it difficult for single families to rent single family homes. Some local rental agencies facilitate this practice.

"To say that a family is so equivalent to a ragtag collection of college roommates as to require identical treatment in zoning decisions defies the reality of the place of the family in American society, despite any changes that institution has undergone in recent years. Only the most cynical among us would say that the American family has devolved to the point of no greater importance or consideration in governmental decision making than a group of college roommates." (Stegeman v. City of Ann Arbor)

That being said, accommodation ought to be made for protected classes, especially non-traditional unions and group houses for the disabled. These classes are laid out in federal and Washington State law.