SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The Spokane County Board of Commissioners is calling on Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to reconsider his recent moratorium on home construction.
Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy order,” which was recently extended until May 4, shuts down non-essential businesses. Commercial and residential construction have been deemed non-essential under the order.
The order makes an exemption for "construction workers who support the construction, operation, inspection, and maintenance of construction sites and construction projects (including housing construction) for all essential facilities, services and projects included in this document, and for residential construction related to emergency repairs and projects that ensure structural integrity."
In a letter to Inslee dated Monday, April 6, the county commissioners assert their belief that construction of single-family homes should remain an essential function.
"Within Spokane County there is a significant need for affordable housing. By issuing a moratorium on development of single-family residences, it will have the effect of further distancing the affordability gap within our community,” the letter reads in part. “…. By enacting restrictions on single-family residential development, this is perpetuating the economic divide, impacting revenue sources for our constituents and local government agencies.”
The commissioners write in the letter that they have received assurance from developers of their ability to maintain safe social distancing projects while continuing construction services.
They also reference a memo from the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that says residential construction is an “essential critical infrastructure work function” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We’ve received the letter, appreciate the feedback and will continue to try to balance health and economic needs, as we’ve done," Lee wrote in a statement to KREM on Tuesday morning.
KREM recently reported on a Kettle Falls family of five whose reconstruction of their home after the 2018 Boyd’s Fire has been halted amid the “stay home” order.
For now, the Pickett family is continuing to make payments on a house they can’t live in.
"We've been behind on everything for a long time. We spent months trying not to lose the property that we're waiting to get rebuilt," Ian Pickett said. "It's financially taxing. I just wish the governor would see that."
The "stay home" order has also halted construction on Habit for Humanity homes in Spokane.