On Sunday, April 6th, the Lake Union Liveaboard Association (LULA) held a celebration at The Ballroom to acknowledge the great progress they’ve achieved in fighting for the rights and preservation of their iconic housing on Seattle’s shorelines.
During its revision of the Shoreline Master Plan, the City of Seattle declared most Seattle houseboats to be illegal – even sending some owners letters of violation. Thanks to work at the state level, by Senator Jamie Pedersen, Representative Frank Chopp, and Representative Gael Tarleton, new State legislation will protect existing houseboats from restrictive requirements and unattainable standards.
Final details of this legislation remain to be worked out, but the LULA leadership voiced words of relief, and pride of accomplishment at strides taken. The City allowed for Floating Homes, Conventional Recreational Vessels, and House Barges, but the new legislation also created two new, catchall names ‘Unconventional Recreational Vessels’ and ‘Floating On-Water Residences’ (also called ‘FlOWRs’.) These categories cover nearly every vessel currently on Lake Union.
The legislation will cover all vessels on Seattle waterways, as of July 1, 2014, but nothing new going forward.
Expect to see an official press release soon from LULA, giving more details about what these efforts mean for Seattle houseboat owners – Fremont residents who live on our shoreline.