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The Master Builders Association’s government affairs team has been busy lobbying for local legislative reforms to ease the strains caused by the ongoing economic downturn. Their approach has been twofold: first, persuade local leaders to do no further harm by resisting new fees, taxes, or regulations; and second, seek out local legislative fixes that could help developers weather the economic storm. It appears that their efforts are beginning to pay off.
According to an article published in the recent Master Builders Association Up To Date Weekly Newsletter, a number of jurisdictions (including King and Snohomish Counties) have enacted or are looking to enact ordinances extending plat and short plat approvals, while others have extended building permits. These extensions should serve as much needed life support for projects that may have otherwise failed for lack of financing or market. Lastly, some jurisdictions have opted to defer the collection of various impact fees and have reduced costly bonding requirements, giving cash-strapped developers immediate relief.
The Master Builders Association hopes that these, and future, efforts will help to put the industry in a better position as the economy recovers. Northwest Hub will continue to monitor these efforts.
Matthew Stock, an attorney with the Buck Law Group—a Seattle-based land use, environmental, dispute resolution and civil litigation firm that is a Northwest Hub sponsor—can be reached by sending an email to mstock@bucklawgroup.com.
