The Seattle City Council has approved an ordinance making significant amendments to parking requirements, the definition of “frequent transit service,” and off-street parking, to name a few. The controversial legislation passed 7-1, with Councilmember Lisa Herbold voting no.

On March 27, 2018, legislation was signed into law that will result in significant changes to the law governing Common Interest Communities (CICs) and paperwork requirements for homebuilders. The new law takes effect July 1. It is important that members review the documents that will be used after July 1, 2018.

On March 27, Lake Stevens City Council passed language improving a previously limited model home ordinance.

The Snohomish County Council has passed ordinance 17-061, making changes to pedestrian facility code. Your association and interested members worked hard over the course of several months to make sure it didn’t negatively impact projects.

This week, the Snohomish County Council unanimously adopted ordinance 18-018, making positive changes to final lift provisions. The measure allows for deferred installation of private road improvements.

On Monday, March 5, the Auburn City Council unanimously adopted ordinance 6672, allowing private irrigation systems in the public right-of-way. This ordinance was drafted in response to member concerns related to the ongoing maintenance of the plantings and landscape strips in the public ROW.

The city of Mercer Island is in the process of exploring several ways to incentivize Built Green® development in its Land Development Code. This will be a collaborative process in which MBAKS is willing to lend guidance, along with boots-on-the-ground expertise of Built Green builders.

The 2014 Wetland Buffer Rating Scale adopted by the Department of Ecology and implemented by many local jurisdictions in King and Snohomish counties has resulted in unintended buffer increases and fewer buildable lots within urban growth areas.

The King County Council’s Planning, Rural Service, and Environment Committee (PRE), chaired by Councilmember Kathy Lambert, was briefed on King County Executive Constantine’s proposed 2018 update to the 2016 King County Comprehensive Plan (ordinance 2018-0153).

MBAKS Executive Director Kat Sims and Russell Hokanson, chief executive officer of the Seattle King County REALTORS, collaborated on an op-ed about the Vision 2050 process calling for a revised growth allocation process that is more accurate and reflects actual growth patterns.

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is undertaking a two-year process to update to Vision 2040 (called Vision 2050), which will help guide region-wide planning in the four counties for years to come. Your association is already engaged in the process.

The Sammamish City Council adopted a resolution directing staff to begin work on a traffic concurrency model focusing on the level of service (LOS) of intersections.

The State Office of Financial Management (OFM) has released new county population projections for growth management planning purposes. Both King and Snohomish counties saw significant increases in projected growth.

In recognition of your association’s stature as a thought leader for residential building industry issues, MBAKS has been appointed to a second three-year term as a non-voting member of the Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) Growth Management Policy Board (GMPB).

With the 2018 state legislative session now adjourned, you can read our final legislative update for the fate of proposed bills, likely initiatives to come forward this year, and, finally, a look ahead to next year.

This week, Snohomish Health District Administrator Jeff Ketchel and his staff detailed the District’s new online portal at MBAKS’s monthly DBIC meeting.

The North Bend City Council lifted the development moratorium on cottage housing at their March 6, 2018 council meeting after adopting new code regulations for cottage housing.

On Monday, the Maple Valley City Council voted to adopt an ordinance to allow for administrative approval of final long plats, with an effective date of March 28.

The Sammamish City Council extended the development moratorium at a public hearing on March 6, 2018. The moratorium was set to expire on April 2.

The Washington State Department of Ecology has released a guidance document to Snohomish County regarding interpretation of the recently adopted Hirst fix. It is strongly recommended those who are interested in permit exempt wells review this information before proceeding.

MBAKS submitted a letter to the Seattle City Council and Mayor Durkan asking them to oppose the so-called Employee Hours Tax, more often referred to as a “head tax.”

For those building homes within the Snohomish County side of the Northshore School District, you are reminded that the current $7,000 cap on school impact fees expires March 31. Beginning April 1, the fee will increase to $10,563 for single family homes.

This week, the Snohomish County Council unanimously killed its own credit card fee surcharge ordinance. The measure would have tacked on 2.5% to permits and other fees paid by builders and others.

The City of Issaquah terminated the Issaquah Highlands Development Agreement (DA) on March 21, 2018, replacing it with amended code. The city claims the developer with whom it entered into the original DA with in 1996 did not have fully vested development rights.

This week, Everett School District held a career and technical education (CTE) industry panel to inform other industry and school staff of the need for expansion of our current skilled trades workforce. Your association and the general industry were well-represented.