By Mike Pattison, Snohomish County Manager

In December 2016, the Washington state Supreme Court struck a blow to vesting rights when it ruled that newly adopted stormwater regulations do not vest. The Court let stand a window for certain projects to remain vested. The new stormwater regulations will apply to all applications submitted after July 1, 2015 and projects approved prior to July 1, 2015 which have not started construction by June 30, 2020.

The case, Snohomish County, et al. v. Pollution Control Hearings Board, will severely impact applications that have been submitted to a jurisdiction but are not yet approved. The opinion eliminates vesting for environmental regulations mandated by the state, including stormwater.

An editorial by MBA President Mike Walsh was recently published in The Herald discussing the case and explaining why vesting is so important to the homebuilding industry.

While there is no ability for local government to overcome the decision with local legislation, King and Snohomish counties are currently petitioning the Court to reconsider and clarify some of the opinion.

Further, there is a proposal before the Washington State Legislature, Senate Bill 5212, that would restore vesting rights.

For more information, contact Snohomish County Manager Mike Pattison, 425.460.8203.

Howard Chermak, founder of award-winning Chermak Construction, is a much-loved and respected leader in the local remodeling industry. In this exclusive podcast recorded live at our September Remodelers Council Dinner, Howard provides us with his incredible insight and discusses the ways to evaluate the overall health of your business.

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The January jobs report was just released on March 16 and showed improvement from the prior month. Washington’s unemployment rate fell from 7.1% in December 2020 to 6.0% in January 2021. The January unemployment rate in the Seattle metropolitan area was 5.8%. The March Builders Bulletin also includes year-end permit totals for 2020, which were relatively flat for single-family. In contrast, multifamily permits fell 17% in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties in 2020 compared to 2019.

The Builder's Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management, and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report: