B&B Battle

06/15/2006

Neighbors in the Greenlake area are duking it out over a land use question: is it OK to run a bed and breakfast in a single family residential zone? A committee of the Seattle City Council is tinkering with rules that govern B&Bs. That’s prompted some Greenlake residents to jump back into the ring. KUOW’s Phyllis Fletcher says they are ready to rumble.

[DING!]

IN THIS CORNAH. . . .

JULIE MCAFERTY.

MCAFERTY: "I don’t like conflict. I don’t seek it out. Having a bed and breakfast I never thought of as being a controversial thing."

JULIE AND HER HUSBAND BLAYNE RUN THE GREENLAKE GUEST HOUSE ON GREENLAKE DRIVE.

MCAFERTY: "We enjoy having people over to our home; we love to cook and meet new people. So we thought it would be a fun way to have a home-based business and meet people."

[DING!]

IN THIS CORNAH. . . .

STEVE KIRSCH. AIRLINE PILOT. DOG OWNER.

KIRSCH: "That’s Tasman. He’s a Blue Heeler. Come on, Tas. Sit. Speak!" [BARK]

TASMAN AND KIRSCH LIVE NEXT DOOR TO THE B&B. KIRSCH NEVER LIKED IT. HE’S BEEN PORTRAYED AS A CRANK FOR HIS OBJECTIONS. BUT HE SAYS HIS COMPLAINTS ARE LEGIT.

KIRSCH: "We had an individual come right into our house and plunk himself down in our livingroom, and when my wife came home with my children sleeping upstairs, he says, 'yeah, I’m here to check in.'"

THE VISITOR LEFT WITHOUT INCIDENT WHEN HE REALIZED HE WASN’T AT THE GREENLAKE GUEST HOUSE.

WHEN THE MCAFERTYS BOUGHT THE PLACE, THEY EXPANDED THE UPSTAIRS. THAT REMODEL WAS LEGAL FOR A HOME, BUT NOT FOR A BUSINESS.

KIRSCH COMPLAINED LAST YEAR. THE CITY SHUT DOWN THE B&B. THE MCAFERTYS FILED A LAWSUIT THAT KEPT THEM OPEN. NOW THE CITY COUNCIL IS LOOKING TO CHANGE CITY LAW. THE CHANGES WOULD MAKE THE B&B LEGAL.

KIRSCH HAS SOMEONE ELSE IN HIS CORNER. THE NEIGHBOR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GREENLAKE GUEST HOUSE. THE TWO OF THEM SAY ANYTHING THAT MAKES IT EASIER TO OPERATE A B&B IS A BAD DEAL FOR ANYONE WHO LIVES NEXT DOOR. THE MCAFERTYS SAY B&Bs ARE GOOD ADDITIONS TO ANY NEIGHBORHOOD. SOME OF THEIR OTHER NEIGHBORS AGREE.

THE MCAFERTYS SEEM TO HAVE SOME KEY PLAYERS IN THEIR CORNER. EACH MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL URBAN PLANNING COMMITTEE HAS EXPRESSED SOME SUPPORT FOR B&Bs IN NEIGBORHOODS ZONED FOR HOUSES.

THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS STILL UP IN THE AIR. THE URBAN PLANNING COMMITTEE DISCUSSED IT WEDNESDAY AND WILL TAKE IT UP AGAIN AT THE END OF THE MONTH. IF THE PROPOSED CHANGES PASS, THEY’LL GO TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR FINAL APPROVAL. PHYLLIS FLETCHER, KUOW NEWS.

© Copyright 2006, KUOW