Today, the city-wide Seattle Community Council Federation voiced its opposition to SHB3071. Its full letter is included both below and in this file. The author of the Council's letter is a member of the Haller Lake Community Club and Vice President of the Federation.
Also today... The Northeast District Council reiterated its opposition to SHB3071 (see its new and original letters). The Laurelhurst Community Club's opposition to this bill is unchanged (see its testimony and original letter). Contact info for our legislators is here. The Senate Committee on Consumer Protection and Housing will hold a hearing on SHB3071 on Tuesday, Feb 26 at 1:30 pm. Additional posts on SHB3071 can be accessed here.
The Seattle Community Council Federation's letter:
February 25, 2007
TO: Senator Margarita Prentice, Senator Darlene Fairley, Senator Erik Poulsen, Senator Jeanne Kohl-Wells, Senator Adam Kline, Senator Ed Murray and Senator Ken Jacobsen
RE: Vote NO on SHB 3071
Dear Senators:
The Seattle Community Council Federation, a coalition of community groups throughout the city of Seattle, urges you to vote no on SHB 3071 and to do all you can to kill the bill.
Changing the condominium law to allow 80 percent owner approval, rather than the current 100 percent for complexes built prior to 1990 would essentially give Children’s Hospital the power of eminent domain. It is grossly unfair to change the rules in the middle of the game for dissolving condominium complexes, especially for those who had counted on living out their days in a nice, quiet and safe complex. Please do not allow Children’s Hospital to force people out of their homes. It is quite different for those who purchased condominiums built after 1990—they bought with the full knowledge that 80 percent of their neighbors could dissolve the complex.
Demolition of the 136-unit garden Laurelon Terrace condominiums will also result in a loss of 21 percent of the affordable housing in the Laurelhust/Sand Point area of Seattle—housing that cannot be replaced in this part of the city.
Children’s Hospital has planned a massive expansion—the addition of 1.5 million square feet, with building heights inconsistent with Seattle Comprehensive Plan and local laws. The level of expansion sought is unprecedented in a low density single family area. Children’s master plan must be approved at the local level in a process that will not be completed until July 2009. Children’s must also proceed through the State Board of Health “certificate of need” 12-step process for approval of the requested bed expansion. A recent study prepared by Field Associates, specialists in healthcare and hospital planning, concludes that Children’s proposal appears to be approximately ten times the actual number of beds required by the hospital 20 years from today. And, unnecessary hospital beds are expensive to the community. With all of these uncertainties, passage of HB 3071 is premature.
Laurelon residents are certainly entitled to negotiate with Children’s and should be well-compensated for the loss of their homes. It doesn’t take a state law for this to happen.
Children’s originally planned a buyout of Laurelon over the next 20 years—now they want the property right away. And, Children’s has offered nothing so far in return—no reduction in the amount of square footage or building heights, just to list a couple of examples—other than a price to those who wish to sell that is almost three times the value of the property. But, Children’s offer has many contingencies—everyone must sell, the master plan must be approved, and homeowners must agree to more or less be lobbyists for the hospital. There is no assurance that replacement affordable housing can be sited in the area.
We hope you will vote NO on HB 3071 and encourage your colleagues to also vote NO. Thank you for considering the views of the Seattle Community Council Federation.
Sincerely,
Rick Barrett, Vice President, Seattle Community Council Federation
cc: Senate Consumer Protection and Housing Committee Members: Senators Brian Weinstein, Claudia Kauffman, Jim Honeyford, Jerome Delvin, Mary Margaret Haugen, Derek Kilmer, Bob McCaslin, Rodney Tom
