Cities rebel on ‘air condos’
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, February 7, 2007
EVERETT – A coalition of Snohomish County cities and at least eight city councils have joined a growing chorus demanding a halt to a controversial style of housing development.
Officials say they want the Snohomish County Council to approve a six-month moratorium on some single-family homes being built in unincorporated county neighborhoods.
Some of these homes are built 11 to the acre under multifamily zoning rules but lack open space and standards found in typical neighborhoods, Mill Creek Mayor Pro Tem Terry Ryan said.
No city wants to annex them, he told the County Council on Wednesday. He’s frustrated.
“It’s just bad development,” Ryan said. “You’re cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
County officials have zoned properties low-density multiple residential, LDMR for short. Developments built in these zones are nicknamed “air condos” because they operate like condominiums with common ownership of streets and land.
Mill Creek’s opposition is shared by Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Bothell, Brier, Woodway and Mukilteo, Ryan said. Each has adopted resolutions pressing the county to halt acceptance of new project applications.
A moratorium isn’t likely, Democratic County Council chairman Dave Gossett said.
“I only think moratoriums should be used in situations which are truly desperate, and I don’t think this is it,” Gossett said.
In the meantime, builders have applied to the county to build thousands of single-family homes of this type in county neighborhoods, Ryan said.
“One more is way too many,” Ryan said.
The steering committee for Snohomish County Tomorrow, the county growth management advisory panel, adopted a resolution calling for a moratorium in November and reaffirmed its position in January, she said.
“We’re talking about everybody’s future here,” Woodway Mayor Carla Nichols said. “(Cities) aren’t interested in annexing these, and we don’t feel the county’s been a good partner.”
There aren’t enough votes on the council for a moratorium, Gossett said, and such an effort would have poisoned fruitful discussions that have led to proposed regulations, he said.
Besides, it takes as much time to adopt a moratorium as it has to propose rules, he said.
A county planning commission public hearing on design standards is scheduled Feb. 27.
“I think the key goal has to be to fix it, and that’s what I’ve focused on,” Gossett said.
New county regulations will target open space, building design, safety, parking and streetscapes.
“I anticipate the council ordinance will be passed before the end of March,” Gossett said. “That’s sure a lot faster than we can get a moratorium done.”
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
