Challenge to county’s housing rules rejected

By Warren Cornwall

Herald Writer

A challenge by the housing industry to stricter Snohomish County development regulations has been rejected by a regional board.

The Central Puget Sound Growth Management Board, a quasi-court that hears disputes over land use regulations, ruled last week that the county’s new limits don’t violate the state’s Growth Management Act.

The decision is a victory for growth-control advocates who pressed the county to rein in high-density developments on county land near cities. It’s a defeat for the housing industry, which has warned the new limits will drive up housing costs and promote sprawl.

"I’m very pleased," said retiring county council member Barbara Cothern, who pressed for the new regulations on planned residential developments. She said the regulations were designed to keep existing neighborhoods from being swamped by development.

The new regulations capped the number of homes allowed at seven per acre, required more open space, and barred the higher-density projects on parcels smaller than five acres.

The industry groups claimed the county failed to study whether the new regulations would prevent them from fitting enough residents inside boundaries drawn around cities, known as urban growth areas. It also warned that by reducing the number of houses that could go on an acre, the rules would cause sprawl and drive up housing prices.

Allison Butcher, a spokeswoman for the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, said the decision was a defeat for people seeking affordable homes.

"In our opinion, the ones who lose in all of this are the new home buyers," said Butcher, whose group and several others filed the challenge.

Butcher said they haven’t decided whether to appeal the decision to Superior Court.

Another option is returning to the county council for revisions, said Mike Pattison of the Snohomish County-Camano Association of Realtors, which also challenged the regulations.

In January, majority control of the council will switch from Democrats to Republicans, including two newly elected Republican council members who have been critical of the regulations.

In the case, the county argued that it didn’t need to re-examine population estimates every time regulations change. It also said the new regulations allow housing density above what would be permitted with some other types of development.

The board last week sided with the county on the dispute, but also cautioned that limiting the developments to parcels larger than five acres "would seem to discourage the smaller-scale projects that would seem to be desirable from a quality point of view."

It suggested the county review that change next year as it studies how much land is needed to accommodate future population growth.

You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.

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