Twilight Zoning in Bellingham: When Will Our City Officials Speak?

Monday, September 24, 2007

When Will Our City Officials Speak?

The following is an open question to our Mayor, Tim Douglas and to our Director of Planning and Community Development, Tim Stewart.

What are we to respond to those who have written below? Mr. Douglas, I know that you will soon be leaving office. Nonetheless, you cannot be disinterested in these issues or you would not have agreed to return to the mayor’s office. Mr. Stewart, you are charged with enforcing zoning here in Bellingham. What is your answer to these individuals?

"Greetings Dick …

Great article in the Bellingham Herald!

I live on XXXX Lane [Whatcom Falls Neighborhood] and have a next door house, with 5 unrelated, college students every year. I explain to the new [tenants] every September that they live in on a "family lane". "Welcome to the neighborhood, let me know if you need anything.....,if you get out of control my friends in the police department WILL show up." I'm tired of training the puppies every year, seeing the house slowly getting neglected, and possible property value of our home deplete[d].

Do you know of any small claims, court cases against these rental house owners? I was considering it.

So far, I stay in contact with [the] BPD …about noise complaints.

Got any advice for me? Keep me in the loop. I want to get involved with this Bellingham problem.

Sincerely,

AV"

And this:

"Dear Dick,

You are so right on!!! our neighborhood has had a bit of the multi resident renters as of late. One has cars parked in front and late nite parties..Another has seven day a week garage sale. We have an ADU in construction as we speak. Talk to the City planning and they say it is density issues. I asked if there were ADUs in Edgemoore, and the official said "No"

My question is Why not?

Your article in the Herald said a lot...I don't know if it reached those that count...Edgemoore people didn't pay attention. The people that don't pay attention to the renters and their neighborhoods, It is a growing problem and our civic leaders need to address this.

Thank you for bringing it in front of the citizens. It is doubtful that anypone will pay attention to this growing problem until it gives everyone a black eye.

In closing, I would like to say that I contacted the City of Bellingham regarding a planned ADU in our neighborhood and was told by the official that it didn' t matter if the neighborhood did not want it to happen....It was in the best interest of density! I asked about Edgemoore! You know the answer.

Ron"

No comments:

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.