This morning, the City Council passed out of committee the “notice of intent” tenant protection ordinance. But they heavily amended it first, changing the nature of the bill and raising several issues as to its legality.
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Category: housing
Ft. Lawton redevelopment plan draws expected legal challenge
Two weeks ago, serial “neighborhood activist” Elizabeth Campbell filed a lawsuit challenging the recently-passed Fort Lawton redevelopment plan on a laundry-list of issues.
Continue readingDurkan signs ADU ordinance, executive order to speed up ADU construction
Yesterday Mayor Jenny Durkan signed into law the ordinance loosening rules for ADUs and restricting the building of “McMansions.” She also signed an executive order directing several actions intended to expedite the design, permitting and construction of ADUs and to make them more affordable to build.
Continue readingCouncil passes ADU ordinance
This afternoon, the City Council passed into law an ordinance loosening rules on Accessory Dwelling Units (aka ADUs), often referred to as “backyard cottages” and “mother-in-law apartments.”
Continue readingCouncil passes ADU legislation out of committee
This afternoon, the legislation loosening restrictions on “accessory dwelling units” or ADUs passed out of committee and will be up for final approval by the full Council on July 1. For background, read my post from earlier this week on the amendments being considered. Most of the amendments under consideration passed. Among the few that didn’t: Amendment 4, offered by Council member Herbold, would have prohibited newly-permitted ADUs from being used for short-term rentals through AirBnB and other companies. O’Brien and Pacheco opposed it, while Harrell supported it from “detached” ADUs only. Amendment 5, also by Herbold, which would have …
Continue readingCouncil looks to fine-tune ADU legislation
Tomorrow afternoon, the Sustainability and Transportation Committee will take up the pending legislation aimed at loosening restrictions on ADUs. There are eleven potential amendments to the bill queued up for discussion and possible adoption.
Continue readingWA Supreme Court hears arguments on Seattle tenant laws
Last week the state Supreme Court heard arguments related to legal challenges against two tenant-rights laws passed in recent years: the “First in Time” ordinance that requires landlords to rent a property to the first qualified tenant who applies; and the “fair chance housing” ordinance that restricts landlords’ ability to use a potential tenant’s criminal record to deny tenancy. The two cases took different paths to get to the Supreme Court, but the legal issues raised have significant overlap. The legal theory underlying both legal challenges is essentially the same: that they restrict one of the landlords’ fundamental rights of …
Continue readingHow much will it cost to fix Seattle’s unreinforced masonry buildings?
According to SDCI, the City of Seattle contains 1,145 buildings with unreinforced masonry that could collapse in a major seismic event. While records are incomplete, the city estimates that about 11% of those have already retrofitted the building to address the issue. Another 68 of them are owned by various government entities. That leaves 944 buildings in private hands with unreinforced masonry: in total about 20,200,000 square feet, containing 10,400 residential housing units with 22,050 residents. Thirty seven of those buildings contain 1,559 designated affordable housing units. Every few years the city attempts to move forward legislation to mandate that …
Continue readingHearing examiner rules for city in ADU EIS appeal
This afternoon, the Office of the Hearing Examiner released its ruling on an appeal of the adequacy of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the City Council’s proposed legislation relaxing rules on the construction of ADUs (aka “mother in law apartments” and “backyard cottages”) in single-family residential zones in Seattle.
Continue readingCity Council moves to extend moratorium on rent-bidding platforms
Fresh off a double-win in the courts, the Seattle City Council is set to extend its ban on rent-bidding platforms such as Rentberry’s while the city finishes a study on the impacts of the technology.
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