We Are Single-Family Homeowners, Hear Us Roar

Seattle Weekly:

Seattle is in a restive, unsettled mood. The economy may be humming along nicely, but something is out of kilter. Many residents are feeling crowded, too crowded, uncomfortable with the speed in which the city is growing, and convinced that developers are running the show. By a long shot, not everyone has bought into the urbanist vision of more bike paths, buses, street cars, and high-density projects with hot yoga studios, posh eateries and gastropubs on the ground level.

Amid all of this, along comes a recommendation by Mayor Ed Murray’s housing committee that says single-family zoning, which comprises 65 percent of all the land in Seattle, is outdated, unsustainable, an unrealistic vestige from the days of Ozzie and Harriet.

In fact, the draft report, leaked July 7 to Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat, goes as far as implying that there is something inherently racist about single-family zoning – that such law-use restrictions (in which 65 percent of Seattle’s land is currently zoned) “has roots in racial and class exclusion,” as the report states, “and remains the among the largest obstacles to realizing the city’s goal for equity and affordability.” More.