Issues&Impacts
Back to News Center Issues & Impacts is a quarterly publication produced by Seattle King County REALTORS® to inform members about current issues and successes within the Government Affairs Department. IN THIS ISSUE: REALTOR® Support for Increasing Housing Supply and Affordability REALTORS® Advocate for a Positive Regulatory Environment for Middle…
Read MoreBack to News Center Background During the last 5 years, the Legislature has tried several different approaches to address our state’s housing crisis: Incentives Beginning in 2019, with support from REALTORS®, the Legislature provided financial incentives to cities if they made specific modifications to development regulations to quickly accommodate more…
Read MoreBack to News Center Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR) continues to work throughout the region to encourage cities to adopt flexible and bold comprehensive plan policies and related development regulations to encourage ADUs and middle housing in their cities. REALTORS® are encouraging policymakers to view increased housing supply through zoned…
Read MoreBack to News Center Currently, Renton’s city code provides that decisions on land-use-related development applications are made by a professional Hearing Examiner. Once the Examiner’s decision is made, the City Council acts as a “quasi-judicial” appellate body for appeals of most land-use decisions. Seattle King County REALTORS® are making good…
Read MoreBack to News Center Currently, when a property owner wants to utilize the city of Tukwila’s Binding Site Improvement Plan (BSIP) process to develop their property, the property owner must also enter into a Development Agreement with the city. The two processes are redundant and add unnecessary expense and delay…
Read MoreBack to News Center Sign code updates are in play in Bellevue, Bothell, Lake Forest Park, and Duvall. We seek to maintain members’ ability to post on-premises “For Sale” signs and off-premises “Open House” A-boards, placed in the right-of-way during open-house hours. Sign code updates are complicated and technical due…
Read MoreBack to News Center Issues & Impacts is a quarterly publication produced by Seattle King County REALTORS® to inform members about current issues and successes within the Government Affairs Department. IN THIS ISSUE: PSRC Leveraging Federal Funds to Limit New Housing Lot-Splitting Gaining Ground in Comprehensive Plans Federal Way Major…
Read MoreBack to News Center At an annual joint meeting of the City of Black Diamond, The City of Enumclaw and the Enumclaw School District, Black Diamond Mayor Carol Benson disclosed that her city had to reduce the amount of housing it planned in its Comprehensive Plan because of pressure from…
Read MoreBack to News Center As cities and King County neared final votes on compressive plans, Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR) encouraged increased zoned densities through meetings with elected officials, letters, and public testimony. In many jurisdictions, the opposition to upzones was fierce. SKCR’s voice was an important reminder to elected…
Read MoreBack to News Center Issues related to public safety and crime came to a head a few years ago when three apparently unrelated high-profile murders occurred in Federal Way within 24 hours. Some commenters blamed concentrations of multifamily housing for the deaths. Others thought efforts to defund police, constrain the…
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