Taking the Initiative - #14
Note: This is part of a series.
Nice column today by the Seattle P-I's Joel Connelly on the astroturfing of the Washington state initiative process -- with a special look at I-933, a stealth attack designed to undermine, oh, pretty much any action taken by state or local government:
The Washington State Farm Bureau is the official sponsor of I-933. But money to pay signature gatherers, $200,000 at last count, has come from an outfit called Americans for Limited Government.
Who are Americans for Limited Government? Where does Americans for Limited Government get its money? We have no way of knowing.
Sponsors would have you believe that this is a land-use rebellion by poor widows and orphans prohibited from subdividing the wetland that is their chief asset in the world.
Bullpucky! It's a top-down initiative paid for by a powerful out-of-state interest.
Anybody out there know who Americans for Limited Government really are? (Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)
Your Big Back Yard
"Density without ripping out single-family housing." That's how one proponent described new rules that would allow some Seattle homeowners to turn detached garages or other backyard structures into apartments.
It's a great idea. Putting an apartment in your back yard can let your neighborhood accomodate new residents without changing its character. From the street, the neighborhood looks the same; the only change is that more people get to enjoy it.
And adding residents has a couple of nifty benefits. First, the rules could help keep housing affordable, both by increasing the supply of rental housing (which helps hold down rents) and by giving some homeowners an additional source of income (which can help them meet their mortgage payments).
And second, denser neighborhoods -- at least as a general rule -- are able to support local stores and services. Higher residential density helps make transit cost effective, and also increases the number of local patrons for shops and restaurants.
