The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) held our annual Snohomish County Elected Officials Reception on Wednesday, June 17 at Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo. The event drew elected officials and other local leaders from throughout the County and gave us a chance to thank them for their leadership and willingness to work alongside us on behalf of housing.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, and Lynnwood Mayor George Hurst joined a panel discussion on how implementation of middle housing state laws is going in their communities, moderated by Snohomish County Builders Council Chair Ian Faulds of Sanbell.

The mayors shared insights on lessons learned related to middle housing development in their cities, as well as lessons from other cities they're applying to their own. Panelists spoke about the importance of aligning regulations with their long-term planning to provide more predictability, advancing permit streamlining measures, and establishing a culture in city government that views housing as a priority.

Mayors Franklin, Nehring, and Hurst also shared where they see the greatest opportunity for cities and builders to work together over the next few years, and what success would look like for housing in their cities. All three mayors agreed it is vital to engage and partner with the building community in this work. They described a vision for the future that meant more residents could afford to live and work in their communities, with housing options available to families and individuals at all stages of life.

MBAKS's Executive Director Jerry Hall rounded out the program by encouraging local leaders to consider all policies through a housing lens.

In case you missed it, view our takeaways from the event and our new middle housing resource to learn more about MBAKS's work on lowering barriers to middle housing options in the County.

Thanks to all the elected officials and MBAKS members who attended and helped make it a fun evening! If you missed this event, there's still time to register for the Seattle Builders Council Reception — July 29, 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Courtyard by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Pioneer Square.

A LEGACY OF BUILDING IN THE PUGET SOUND

Bellevue-based BDR Companies provides investment, development, and home construction in the Puget Sound area. With highly respected backgrounds in the residential development community, BDR executives have been recognized with major industry awards, including national Gold Nugget Awards for building excellence, Builder of the Year (twice), more than 100 industry-wide MAME Awards, and numerous Built Green recognitions.

Todd Bennett is the founder and president of BDR Companies. Prior to that, he was a principal in Bennett Homes for 30 years. In his current role, Todd puts together developer partnerships for BDR’s residential building projects. “Our partnerships mostly build homes. We have two groups: BDR Homes for homes priced under two million and BDR Fine Homes for homes priced over two million.”

MORE THAN 20 YEARS IN THE MBA HEALTH TRUST

Between Bennett Homes and BDR, Todd has been a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) for 34 years (once serving as President) and the MBA Health Trust for 21 years. “MBA’s health insurance is a big benefit for us,” says Todd. “We’ve used the Trust from the beginning. All of our employees are on our plan now. We’ve always been able to provide good coverage for them. And it’s affordable for us.”

SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS

The MBA Health Trust has provided Todd and his companies with consistently lower premiums. “We’ve looked at other health insurance providers, but we’ve never been able to get the same combination of cost savings plus benefits,” he says. “The MBA plan has consistently been 10-15 percent less cost, even with the big increases in health insurance premiums since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.”

REGENCE BLUESHIELD “KEEPS IT SIMPLE”

Regence BlueShield is the MBA Health Trust’s insurance partner, and Todd has had good experiences with them over the years. “The Regence plan is flexible. So far, we haven’t had a hitch at all on who we can use and what’s covered—even with large medical issues. Regence has covered most everything so far and kept it simple.”

MBA MEMBER BENEFITS ALSO INCLUDE BUILDER ADVOCACY

In addition to the MBA Health Trust, Todd’s long membership in the MBA has helped his business in other ways. Todd says the MBA has a very strong government relations group. “A great benefit to MBA membership is the advocacy role the MBA plays,” he says. “We get a common voice in the industry. Local municipalities listen to the MBA. That’s a primary benefit from a builder standpoint. The MBA gives the builders more of a collective voice. It’s very powerful. The MBA has helped get code changes that benefit the home building industry adopted, for example.”

CITIES LISTEN, PROCESSES ARE EXPEDITED

Todd cites challenges with some cities and how the MBA interceded. “We were having slowdowns with building permits and the MBA got involved and arranged a meeting with city officials. This got the process moving forward quicker.”

By Aaron Kunkler, Redmond Reporter

Willows and Rose Hill neighborhoods expanded following last week’s Redmond City Council meeting, when 54 acres of unincorporated King County were annexed into the city.

The area annexed is located along 132nd Avenue Northeast, is flanked to the west by the City of Kirkland, and is surrounded on the other three sides by Redmond.

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