Mark Your Calendar

There will be a public hearing on the proposed changes to the Whitman County rural housing ordinance next Tuesday, August 29, at 6:00 PM in the Public Service Building auditorium in Colfax.

After the hearing, the commissioners will conduct a series of public workshop sessions and then conduct yet another public hearing before voting on the changes. They hope to wrap up the issue before the end of the year.

IF THIS HEARING IS ABOUT "RURAL HOUSING", WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT PULLMAN RESIDENTS ATTEND?

A business recruitment expert recently cited high housing costs as a major obstacle to attracting manufacturing businesses to the Palouse.

The Pullman micropolitan area, which includes Whitman County, was recently rated by a Bizjournals.com study #560 out of 577 U.S. micropolitan areas in terms of affordable housing.

A new study conducted for the Moscow Chamber of Commerce concluded that because of the underdeveloped housing sector in Pullman, Moscow may be benefitting as much from the growth of Schweitzer Engineering Labs as Pullman.

A 2006 WSU Center for Real Estate Research study ranked Whitman County's first-time home buyer affordability index at 51.1. That's FIFTH WORSE out of Washington's 39 counties.

All of these problems can be directly attributed to the current zoning ordinance that was put in place in the mid-70s to limit growth in Whitman County. It has worked all too well. That is why Ed Schweitzer has vehemently opposed the ordinance and the proposed changes that add "viewshed," paint, lighting, landscaping, etc. requirements.

If Whitman County and Pullman are to survive as viable and vibrant places to live, this ordinance must go away, and not be replaced by any other onerous regulations.