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94 homes saved (photo at right): Kingsbury East residents Ned Collingridge,
Gene DeWitte, and SOS board member Jo Parkening show their
appreciation for Housing Authority of Snohomish County (HASCO).
KEYS TO SUCCESS
HASCO’s Bob Davis points to three factors that made the
Kingsbury East and Squire parks’ preservation a success.
First,
you need a willing seller. Bob hails developer Michael Echelbarger’s cooperative attitude. “If you don’t have a willing
seller,” says Bob, “it’s not going to happen. On the policy
side, you have people who tell folks either that they can
prevent landlords from redeveloping their parks through state
law or through local zoning. It’s not true.”
Second, the
right strategy is important. Bob says, “My
perspective, developed over 20 years, is that you either take
the communities into nonprofit ownership—either coop, nonprofit,
or public agency—or they go away.” Once the property is publicly
owned, it’s important to take steps to preserve the
affordability. Otherwise, the housing can lose its affordability
through resale when the new owners pay the increased market
price.
Finally, the
residents have to show commitment. The residents
at Kingsbury East and Squire were a remarkably cohesive group.
They showed government officials that preserving their homes was
something they really wanted. “At every point,” Bob recalls,
“the residents were so motivated, cohesive, and articulate, that
everybody who met them was impressed and moved to want to
preserve the communities for them.”
Significantly, the residents’ commitment went beyond
gathering signatures and testifying to committees. “We
required—and the homeowners executed—buyback agreements prior to
closing,” Bob says. “They gave up any potential equity they
would accrue in return for their parks being saved. This enables
us to perpetuate the affordability as we go forward. It was a
generous contribution on their part: They called it their
legacy.”
PRESERVATION EFFORTS
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KEYS TO SUCCESS
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PERSONAL STORIES |
