Twilight Zoning in Bellingham: Bellingham Mayor's Commission Sends Him Second Message in Support of Rental Licensing

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Bellingham Mayor's Commission Sends Him Second Message in Support of Rental Licensing

At its 16 February 2011 meeting, the Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Commission (MNAC) reaffirmed its recommendation to Mayor Pike that he support the implementation of a rental licensing and inspection ordinance in Bellingham. This follows some very animated discussion on the topic during the February MNAC meeting (click here to read about that) The motion reads: "In order to maintain a safe, healthy rental housing stock, the Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Commission recommends that Mayor Dan Pike support the implementation of a self-supporting, effective rental housing licensing and inspection program as soon as possible in 2011." (Vote was 13 yes, 5 no, and 1 abstention)

This motion was the second such recommendation to Mayor Pike. Last year on 17 March, MNAC sent a similar message to the Mayor, to wit: that “a rental housing licensing and inspection ordinance be drawn up for review and discussion in 2010 in a public process." This recommendation was also approved by an overwhelming vote but was manifestly ignored by Mayor Pike. In fact, last year Mayor Pike and then Planning Director, Tim Stewart, actively sought to derail action on rental licensing and inspection by the City Council. Click here and here to read about the Mayor's tactics.

85% of the neighborhoods voting on the 16th, supported licensing and inspection with a statement even stronger than the one they sent Mayor Pike last year. Not an insignificant percentage. Perhaps this time this recommendation will not fall on deaf ears in the Office of the Mayor.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: What IS it about Bellingham that egenders a regime of mayors who dismiss citizen concerns with a get lost arrogance of office that seems universal.
In recent years we had Tim Douglas whose arrogance over a proposed Arts center is legendary. later we had his equivelant Mark Asmundsen whose first mayoral act was to substantially increase the mayoral salary he too had a ready middle finger for taxpaters and an "easy mark" attitude to taxpayer money that earned a taxpayer sign that read
"MARK SAYS WHY SPEND A DIME IF A DOLLAR WILL DO IT"
He too was part of the Arts center anti public arrogance which the citizens later killed by court action

Now we have contiuum in the form of Dan Pike who arrogantly chooses to block actions aimed at controlling rentals and landlord irresponsibility by a licensing procedure that can be structured as cost free to taxpayers.

Mayor Pike has an axe to grind which is probably a mixture of special interest motivated concerns
and public be damned mindset. your guess but it sure carries the familiar mayoral standard for our city.

Does Mr Pike "Fiddle" with friends while Bellinghaqm goes downhill? certainly the arrogance bug is active once again.
IT IS NOT IN THE INTERESTS OF BELLINGHAM TAXPAYERS TO ALLOW A FEW LANDLORDS OR REAL ESTATE INTERESTS TO CONTROL CITY STANDARDS

Arrogance should not be allowed to put concerns of the mayor's buddies before the public's best interest and council should put a stop to this never ending Douglas - Asmundsen - Pike style that puts their attitudes before public good; February 17, 2011 at 8:26 PM

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.