Martha Rose on Micros: Let’s Overcome Fear of Change
The following is an e-mail that was sent to Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess encouraging that the Council take a different approach to microhousing legislation. We need many more of these kinds of messages to get to Council as they consider legislation this week and next.
Dear Mr Burgess,
I have lived in Seattle for more that 33 years and have lived in 4 different shared houses, a slum apartment, several houses and a condo. One of the shared houses had 8 adults and one bathroom! All of those housing choices reflected my (then) current life needs and finances.
I love the fact that now micros provide yet another option for people who are in a situation where their needs are simpler.
I have heard the arguments for and against. The against arguments that I have heard don’t hold water:
- “There is no sense of community in microhousing.” Who can judge if there is or isn’t community unless they live there and not everyone wants to share a bathroom!
- “Only transients live there.” Many of us have been transient at one time in our life or another. Life is nothing but a long stream of transitions, whether it be finding your footing after landing in a new town or getting rid of the Big House as an empty nester.
- “Our parking will get used up by them.” Our new SDOT Director, Scott Kubly, spoke at the last Seattle Chamber of Commerce meeting about how (much) higher density actually causes both a reduction in traffic and vehicle ownership. Whether that will hold true for Seattle remains to be seen because we tend to cave to neighbors who don’t want that high density. Also, those who use on the street as “their” parking need to understand that they have had a free ride with free parking all of these years
- “The buildings are too bulky, too high, too ugly.” This mantra has been going on ever since I have lived in Seattle and has been applied to 2 story single family homes, to high rises, and everything in between. When are we going to stop letting the general population decide the best design, the best style for the neighborhood and consequently, the floor plans and everything else about building, when their expertise may be dentistry, or teaching, or software designer? Builders do not make a habit of telling others how to perform their jobs.
This conversation is deep and long and clearly this email only touches the surface. I think in summary, the opposition boils down to one thing – fear of change – we all have it and we all need to face it directly to overcome it.
I thank you for your time reading this.
Martha Rose
Martha Rose is President of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. She is best known by many as the ‘Queen of Green,‘ is a national leader in the Green Building Movement. She also is owner and operator of Martha Rose Construction. Her interest in energy efficiency and sustainable building practices goes all the way back to the 1970‘s and currently is her main focus. Today Martha is striving toward building Zero-Energy spec-homes.
