Farmers aren't the only ones hurt by land-use restrictions

If you have seen the news or television ads about I-933, the Property Fairness Initiative, you probably think it is all about farmers.

It is about farmers, but it also affects you.

Whether you farm near Carnation or live in a Belltown condo, property rights and land-use regulations have an impact on your wallet and your lifestyle.

The farmers who grow the fresh produce, meats and flowers you buy at Pike Place Market as well as the local ingredients featured in the fine cuisine you enjoy at your favorite downtown hot spots are finding it more and more difficult to stay in business.

Why?

A key factor is unreasonable land-use regulations that prevent them from farming large portions of their land, especially here in Western Washington.

Basically, farmers are being told to stay off their own private property in order to provide some public benefit, with no compensation for the loss.

For instance, third-generation farmer Roger Short of Chimacum faces buffer restrictions of up to 450-feet wide that could put him and other Jefferson County farmers out of business.

As it is, farmers receive only 19 cents of each dollar you spend on food.

The only way they can earn a living, save for retirement and put food on their table — and yours — is to wisely manage their land.

Regulations taking farmland out of production, but leaving it on the tax rolls, stretch some farmers' bottom line to the breaking point.

Moreover, local regulations forcing farmers to set aside land for buffers or wildlife habitat can make farmers ineligible for federal conservation programs. Many farmers participate in these voluntary programs, earning income by enhancing wildlife habitat, cleaning the air and water, and providing open space.

So, local regulations can be a one-two punch. Farmers receive no compensation to offset local rules stripping them of the use of their land, and they may be unable to participate in voluntary federal programs that pay them for providing habitat and other environmental benefits.

But farmers are not the only ones being harmed by such restrictions.

Thanks to the "65-10" rules — percentages on the land that must remain as native vegetation and the limit on impervious surfaces, respectively — many of your friends in rural King County are watching weeds grow on two-thirds of their property that they can no longer use, but still must pay taxes on.

Others are losing battles with nature because regulations prohibit cleaning out streams, removing dangerous trees or managing weeds and pests that thrive in "natural vegetation."

Consider Grayce Fremouw, 86, of Auburn. She used to watch salmon swim up Burns Creek behind her home until a mudslide 15 years ago turned it into a stagnant pool that overruns its banks into her basement every winter. Grayce wants the salmon and her basement back, but county regulators won't let her clean out the creek.

Meanwhile, tightly drawn urban-growth boundaries are driving up property values to the point where many hardworking Seattleites may never be able to afford to buy a home in the city.

Instead, they will be forced to keep handing over a growing portion of their paycheck every month to boost their landlord's equity or else give up and move to the 'burbs.

So how would I-933 help?

I-933 would require government to explain why new regulations are needed, identify whose land will be impacted, and consider voluntary, cooperative approaches to achieve environmental goals before passing new rules. Then, if a jurisdiction chooses to adopt rules damaging private property, it must compensate the landowner for the damage or modify the regulation to avoid causing damage.

Basically, if private land is taken for the public good, the public must pay for it — just as our state constitution demands.

The Washington Farm Bureau, the state's largest agricultural trade association, with more than 34,000 member families, leads the Yes on I-933 campaign.

In fact, Farm Bureau members wrote I-933 to help protect their rights, and yours.

I-933 will not repeal any laws or rules, but it will put property owners on equal footing with the regulators by forcing government to either work with citizens to find solutions, or pay for the land they are taking off-limits. These are fair, common-sense approaches to difficult problems.

So, next time you are shopping at Pike Place Market or enjoying a fine meal made with fresh, local ingredients, think about the Washington farmers who made that possible.

Then do them a favor by voting yes on I-933, the Property Fairness Initiative.

Dan Wood is a former Democratic county commissioner and local Democratic Party leader from Grays Harbor County who now serves as director of government relations for the Washington Farm Bureau.