| The support of thousands of voters means that Washington’s property rights debate isn’t over, according to The Washington Association of Realtors. The 25,000-member organization, which took a neutral position on the initiative campaign, said today that policymakers should make it a priority to reform the complex system of rules and regulations that govern how people use their land.
I-933 would have required government to compensate property owners for regulations that damage the use or value of private property.
“Thousands of people said they resent government over-regulating the land in which individuals have invested their savings and their futures,” said Steve Francks, Chief Executive Officer of the Washington Realtors, adding that the land restrictions have contributed to the shortage of affordable homes for middle-income families. “The election shows only that voters did not consider I-933 the solution, but the problem hasn’t gone away.”
Francks added that poorly thought-out land-use regulations and growth plans have created a shortage of homes affordable for Washington’s middle-income families, causing home prices to rise year after year. In the 2007 legislative session, Francks said the Washington Realtors would pursue changes to public policy that expand the supply of middle-income homes. State government typically addresses only the need for low-income housing, distributing grants to local government and organizations.
Francks said, however, the Legislature must find strategies that will increase the supply of homes that are affordable for middle-class families — teachers, firefighters and police officers.
“Regardless of how voters treated I-933, state and local policymakers should understand that concerns about governmental disregard for property rights is what made I-933 a viable initiative — and that frustration hasn’t disappeared just because the election is over,” said Francks. “Government inaction has allowed home prices to skyrocket out of the reach of middle-wage families. It’s a crisis that state legislators must address in the 2007 session of the Legislature.”
Last February the Washington Realtors appointed an internal task force to study I-933 and recommend an organizational position on it. The task force spent several months gathering and reviewing information from several sources, including proponents, opponents and independent third parties to analyze the initiative and predict its effect on environment protection, property rights, government regulation, and other factors.
In October, the Washington Realtors announced that the 25,000-member organization would remain neutral on the initiative. The task force encouraged Realtors and other voters to research for themselves how I-933 could affect their communities, businesses, and clients.
Francks said that, although the organization remained neutral in the initiative campaign, Realtors still have significant concerns about the state’s home affordability crisis. The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires cities and counties to plan for a sufficient supply of homes to meet the demand of growth. Many, however, have inadequately planned for those homes. Others have earmarked land for residential construction, but government restrictions prevent the full use of the land required to build the desired number of homes.
The state’s population is projected to grow by about a million people through this decade. Too few homes to accommodate this growth pushes up home prices, contributes to “sprawl,” and worsens traffic congestion. The gap between supply and demand is the dominant reason that home prices have not fallen in Washington State, even if they have elsewhere in the country.
“Government failure to ensure we plan for an adequate supply of homes is driving the cost of homes up and driving families out of our communities,” Francks said. “It’s time for government to fix it.”. | 
