FoS.blog: The Friends of Seattle blog

State Sen. Kline Introduces Bill Changing State "Vesting" Laws

Under current law, a development project "vests" when the developers applies for permits, meaning any changes in land-use regulations do not affect the project. In effect, Washington's vesting rule freezes land-use regulations in time, and local governments may not require the development to comply with new land-use laws. But that rule may change:

Senate Bill 5148 (changing Washington vesting laws)
Introduced by Sen. Adam Kline, (D-Seattle) (D) on January 15, 2009, to change the Washington state vesting laws so that a project is vested at the time of approval of application, not submittal.  This would mean that an application is review and approved based on new rules and regulations, even if the new rules and regulations were approved after the submittal of the application.
http://www.washingtonvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=69786

Source: Washington Votes email update.

It'll be interesting to see if Sen. Kline's efforts go anywhere.

If You Zone for It, They Will Build It

Mathew Yglesias has it right when he observes that our built environment---which is dominated by single-family homes spaced far-apart on large lots---is not the result of some natural phenomenon or some inherent American preference for suburbia:

[T]o make a long story short, we have the built environment we have because of policy. The past half century or so has been dominated by rules about maximum lot occupancy and minimum lot size, parking requirements, and floor area ratio caps that were designed to produce something like the suburbs as we know them. Insofar as we keep those rules, the future will resemble the present. Insofar as we change them, things will change.

We think we should change our policies.

Using Belgian Blocks to Improve the Urban Environment for Pedestrians

Car-dominated streets are lousy places to walk. To reduce the impacts of traffic, the City of Seattle runs a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program. "Traffic calming" refers to the tricks that the City uses to make it a pain in the ass to drive through side streets---traffic circles, chicanes, speed humps, and curb bulbs. We like curb bulbs because they make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street, but we confess to being frustrated with the other measures. They turn side streets into little more than glorified parking lots for single-family neighborhoods. A better solution is surely available---a solution that is friendly to pedestrians, and yet does not defeat the purpose of having streets in the first place. Here's an interesting idea: pave streets with Belgian Blocks. It's not a new idea; Belgian Blocks once covered city streets everywhere.

Photo of New York's Greenwich Village by Flickr User wallyg, Used Under a Creative Commons License

Still, it's an idea worth revisiting. Not only are stone-paved streets lovely to look at, but they are longer-lasting than concrete and blacktop. Most important of all, their rougher ride induces drivers to slow to a more reasonable speed. Streets paved with Belgian Blocks could strike the right balance between making the urban environment pedestrian-friendly and keeping our streets usable for vehicles. Of course, stone-paved streets might be bad for bicyclists.