Jolt
Afternoon Jolt: Ouch!
1. Today's Losers: Environmentalists
Why? Because their No. 1 state house "champion" (as environmentalists call their go-to legislators) Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-44, Lake Stevens, Snohomish), the lumberjack-y, bearded legislator who sent a referendum to the voters last year to spend $937 million on green retrofits for public schools (it lost), is sponsoring a bill they say is one of the worst bills for the environment this year.
At the request of the Snohomish County Council, Dunshee's bill—his 44th District colleague, conservative Democratic Sen. Steve Hobbs, is sponsoring the senate companion—would allow a Snohomish developer to build more densely than currently allowed in rural land (1,600 residential units per 750 contiguous acres within three miles of a state highway, as opposed to the current limit of 650 units.)
Dunshee and Hobbs's bill—it had its first hearing today—is pro-environmental, they say, because in order to build more densely (and density is good, right?), developers would have to pledge to preserve local farmland.
Environmentalists aren't persuaded. Their gripe: The rural density is actually sprawl—forcing Snohomish to build out infrastructure, like water lines, roads, and utilities that don't currently exist. More pavement and malls to come.
Today's Winner: The McNaughton Group.
They're the Snohomish County developer that will benefit from the change.
Why? Because their No. 1 state house "champion" (as environmentalists call their go-to legislators) Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-44, Lake Stevens, Snohomish), the lumberjack-y, bearded legislator who sent a referendum to the voters last year to spend $937 million on green retrofits for public schools (it lost), is sponsoring a bill they say is one of the worst bills for the environment this year.
At the request of the Snohomish County Council, Dunshee's bill—his 44th District colleague, conservative Democratic Sen. Steve Hobbs, is sponsoring the senate companion—would allow a Snohomish developer to build more densely than currently allowed in rural land (1,600 residential units per 750 contiguous acres within three miles of a state highway, as opposed to the current limit of 650 units.)
Dunshee and Hobbs's bill—it had its first hearing today—is pro-environmental, they say, because in order to build more densely (and density is good, right?), developers would have to pledge to preserve local farmland.
Environmentalists aren't persuaded. Their gripe: The rural density is actually sprawl—forcing Snohomish to build out infrastructure, like water lines, roads, and utilities that don't currently exist. More pavement and malls to come.
Today's Winner: The McNaughton Group.
They're the Snohomish County developer that will benefit from the change.
