We Warned You in 2020, Now Inslee Wants to Kill Single Family Zoning

Governor Inslee, in his latest round of legislative proposals and 'goals' for 2022, has unveiled perhaps one of the most controversial ideas ever.

INSLEE WANTS TO DO AWAY WITH SINGLE-FAMILY ZONING LAWS

The zoning may be foreign to some, but currently, the Tri-Cities and other growing areas are exploding in population and people are moving into new housing developments.

These are called single-family dwelling developments.  Zoning laws decide where we put apartments, single-family homes, businesses, schools etc.

Today in Olympia Gov. Inslee proposed the following;

"...Passing a new statewide policy to allow a variety of “middle housing” types in our cities is one of the most impactful things we can do to restore housing supply and encourage affordable homeownership. We will increase housing by allowing duplexes, triplexes and quads on all lots within a half mile of major transit stops in large cities."

This plan is basically a refreshed version of a bill that was pushed in January 2020. Senator Monda Dass (D-Kent) introduced Senate Bill 6536, which would do the same.

From our story on January 23, 2020:

"this bill would require all cities with a population of 15,000 or higher to allow multi-family units to be built in areas previously zoned only for single-family dwellings--which is the VAST majority of what's being built here in the Mid-Columbia."

You've probably heard discussions or disputes when a builder wants to put up an apartment complex, or even low-income housing in a certain area and residents who are there are unhappy about the idea. Sometimes they don't want low-income housing because of what they believe is the 'type' of persons who utilize that kind of dwelling.

That may sound discriminatory to some, but it is a reality.  Plus, we have zoning laws to keep liquor stores away from schools, etc.  Many in our area are against doing away with single-family dwelling zoning because it eliminates the ability for many families to accomplish their goal of owning THEIR home.

Oregon did this in 2019, as has California.

To read more about Inslee's housing plans to deal with homelessness and other issues (like CA) click on the button below.