USEPA photo by Eric Vance

LDC Inc. went to Washington, D.C. October 24 to advocate for sensible stormwater management regulations that lead to clean water for communities instead of mountains of paperwork.

Representing builders and developers who do business in Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, Clay White, principal planner, joined nine other NAHB members from across the country to meet EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his top local enforcement officials.

NAHB members suggested several ways EPA could improve the process, including:

• A simplified permit process for small lots. EPA's compliance template for single-family homes in large subdivisions that could also serve as a streamlined permit: it's concise and written in "builder language" because NAHB helped develop it.
• A "find it, fix it" approach. Rather than penalize first-time violators, EPA inspectors should provide compliance assistance during site visits and allow builders to correct minor infractions so they can do it right the next time.
• Better coordination among regulators. Multiple visits from local, state and federal inspectors to the same site can result in very different observations and citations. The EPA needs to allow the states, and not themselves, to play the lead role in stormwater enforcement.
• Continued participation in EPA's "Smart Sectors" Program. Homebuilders were invited to participate this business community partnership to develop sensible regulations while protecting the environment and public health.

White was pleased at EPA's response. "It was tremendous to meet with Administrator Pruitt and the EPA team on issues that are impacting our building community. I believe that this meeting will result in positive outcomes for the builders in our region."

For stormwater management resources, visit the NAHB Stormwater Toolkit.

Contact: data@mbaks.com

The median price for single-family homes and condos surged to $820,000 in King County and $715,000 in Snohomish County. In King County, the median price for single-family homes rose by 14% to $914,500, compared to last year. Similarly, Snohomish County witnessed a 9% increase, with the median price climbing to $750,990. These increases reflect a broader trend: the median sales price of homes increased in 19 out of 26 counties and decreased in 7 counties relative to February 2023.

Read the full March Builders Bulletin:

The winners of the 2017 NAHB Association Excellence Awards were recently unveiled and the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties is proud to announce we have been honored with two awards. 

The country’s largest and oldest local homebuilders association won Best HBA Partnership/Coalition in the HBA Operations category, as well as Best Publication (print or electronic) in the Communications category, the latter for Master Builder magazine. 

The Building Industry Association of Washington, our state-level partner association, also won an AEA for Best Regional Government Affairs Effort for their "Fix Hirst" campaign.

The annual AEA Awards recognize HBAs across the country for their outstanding accomplishments at the state and local levels, as well as HBA executive officers in the field of association management. 

Congratulations to all who helped MBAKS win these distinguished awards! View the full list of 2017 AEA winners.

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