WAR

When the Growth Management Act was passed by the Washington legislature thirty-five years ago, the staunchest opposition came from the Washington Association of Realtors (WAR) and the Building Industry Association of Washington. WAR associates were investigated by the Washington Secretary of State for election fraud, and hoodlums recruited by a paid agent from the Whatcom Building Industry Association were arrested by the FBI for making bombs.

Today, the real estate industry in Washington is at the forefront of environmental destruction we see playing out before us along the Salish Sea coastline. This blitzkrieg to build luxury developments to accommodate wealthy retirees from around the country is driving up rents and utility costs for existing residents, and foreclosing any hope at all for so-called affordable housing. The building industry is not trashing our salmon streams and beaches for that.

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