The Legislature has made the right first step, but there is much to do to come up with a coherant housing policy in the city.

Lawmakers in Olympia passed a measure that strengthens protections for tenants displaced in the overpowering rush to turn usually older apartment buildings into cash machines for their owners. Hundreds of rental spaces have been lost to conversions into condominiums. The currrent economic malaise may slow this down, but as soon as the economy rights itself, the rush will likely be back on.

In one case we have seen a 40-year-old apartment building in an excellent location and worth a bit over a half million dolllars be converted to condominiums which the owner want to sell of a half million dollars each.

The new law, see Page One for details, will mandate that persons forced out of their apartments will get up to $1,500 in relocation assistance, under an amendment sporsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles of Ballard. Current law gives a miserly $500.

The new measure also increases the notice the tenants receive and specifies that remodeling and rebulding of the structure must wait until all tenants are out of the buiding.

"These are much needed, very important protections for tenants," said Council member Richard McIver. Council member Tom Rasmussen said he was glad lawmakers could come to the aid of renters "who need our help."

As we said a good first step. What is needed now is a comprehensive reworking of the city zoning code and supporting laws.

Anywhere in West Seattle you can find lots that once held one single-family homes of modest proportions are now covered with as many as six or eight townhouses, or a house the size of Buckingham Palace.

We sometimes wonder where they get the architects for the townhouses and figure they must come from the ranks of cereal box designers - tall slender square boxes with the charm of a military prison, but on sale for huge amounts. We think they will become the slums of 25 years from now.

It is one thing to declare that owners of property have the right to do whatever they want with their land, but only if it does not severely affect the owners of nearby homes. When a mega home is plunked next to a street of average sized family homes, it distorts not only the visibility of the neighborhood, bit distorts assessed valuations and home prices. Therefore, your huge mansion or winfall profit on selling townhouses, becomes my increased taxes or ruins my neighborhood and that is inherantly wrong.

We urge a comprehensive look at land use and zoneing in this city before it looks like a western suburb of Phoenix or the "planned" development of Columbia City, Md.

- Jack Mayne