Category Archives: Land Use

Public Hearing: Backyard Cottage Zoning Changes, Tuesday June 11

Zoning Changes for Backyard Cottages and Mother-in-Law Apartments and Home Ownership

Two events at City Council Chambers, 2nd floor, Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave on the proposed legislation.

Tuesday June 11, 2019, 5:30 PM
Public Hearing at City Hall – Please attend if you can. Arrive early to sign up to speak (usually two minutes per person).

Tuesday June 18, 2019, 2:00 PM
Possible Vote by the City Council.

Currently, the City allows backyard cottages to be built on most single-family lots. On June 11 and before June 18, 2019, City Council members need to hear from you regarding proposed changes to the rules governing backyard cottages (Detached Accessory Dwelling Units or DADUs) and mother-in-law apartments (Attached Dwelling Units or ADUs) on single-family lots.

The proposed changes include:

Removing the owner occupancy requirement. (Currently, the owner must live on-site.)
Allowing both a mother-in-law apartment (ADU) and a backyard cottage (DADU) on the same lot, instead of one or the other, increasing the number of possible housing units on a single-family lot from two to three units.
Increasing the height and size of backyard cottages while reducing the minimum lot size.

Concern: These changes combine to turn single-family lots citywide into targets for developer and investor speculation as they open up having three rental units on one single-family lot and decreasing the opportunities for home ownership. The Seattle Times Editorial Board writes, “The new proposal is a wish list for developers, private and nonprofit, allowing nearly every single-family lot to be used for triplexes.”

There are more proposed changes to be concerned about in this upcoming legislation regarding open space, trees, setbacks and property lines, parking, etc… To read more about these concerns, click here.

“Don’t be fooled by advocates calling this a moral imperative. This mostly helps politicians’ benefactors: developers and labor groups wanting license to build rentals virtually everywhere.”
– The Seattle Times Editorial Board

Think about it and share your opinion of these proposals with your elected officials in city government. It’s important that they hear from you now. See below for a suggested message.

Continue reading →

Monthly Meeting, Wednesday June 5

Time: 7 PM.
Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N.

Program:

Brad Topol, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Vision Zero, will present improvements for N/NE 40th Street focusing on safety treatments for pedestrian and bicycle crossings.

Christa Dumpys, SDOT, with updates on the Greenlake and Wallingford paving project, and the NE 43rd Street improvements project in U-District.

Agenda:

Welcome / Call to Order.
Committee reports.
Announcements:
- The Wallingford Community Council and the Northeast District Council host a District 4 City Council Candidates Forum on Monday June 10, 7 PM at the Sand Point Learning Center, 5801 Sand Point Way NE.
- Public Hearing on legislation to change regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units (Backyard Cottages). Tuesday June 11, 5:30 PM in Seattle City Council Chambers.
- The Monthly Meeting on Wednesday July 3 is cancelled!
- The next Monthly Meeting will be Wednesday August 7, 7 PM.
Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up).
Adjourn.

Dunn Lumber Expansion Tour, Wednesday May 22

Dunn Lumber is rebuilding their headquarters and lumberyard in Wallingford. You are invited to walk with the project planners around the site of the future Dunn Lumber Headquarters Expansion Project on Wednesday May 22. The tour will begin at 6:00 PM (outside) at 3826 Latona Ave NE, near the Burke Gilman Trail. The tour will last about 1 hour.

You can learn more about the project and comment on it at the Dunn Lumber Headquarters Expansion Project website.

Wallingford Waterways Walk, Saturday May 11

Join us on a family-friendly walk along Lake Union to learn about the public access points on Lake Union.

When: 9:00 – 11:00 AM on Saturday May 11, 2019. Rain or shine.

Map of waterways in Wallingford. Prepared by James Thompson. © Copyright 2015 Wallingford Community Council. All Rights Reserved.

Where: Waterway 15 (Next to Ivar’s on the west, NE Northlake Way & 4th Ave NE). We’ll meet down at the lake by the wooden bench. At about 9:15 AM, we’ll begin to work our way west toward Waterway 22 (the south end of Stone Way). For those so inclined, join us after the walk for a beer at the Fremont Brewery.

Why: Wallingford’s public waterways are wonderful features of our community and the Wallingford Community Council has, through the years, made access to the public waterways a key action item. We hold this walk to raise awareness of where the public access points are along the Wallingford section of Lake Union and to teach some of the history. In addition, we want to improve shoreline habitats.

What: We will visit each Waterway of Wallingford, explaining efforts to preserve public access and showing where they are. If you are handy with the phone and social media – help us to raise awareness of each Waterway on google and apple maps and other social sites with your photos and comments

Continue reading →

43rd Legislative District Town Hall, Saturday March 16

Saturday March 16, 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Seattle First Baptist Church
1111 Harvard Ave
(Facebook Event notice)

Join Senator Jamie Pedersen, House Speaker Frank Chopp, and Representative Nicole Macri.

Get an update on the 2019 Legislative Session.
Share your comments, concerns, & questions.

Please be aware of Senate Bill ESSB 5812 and House Bill SHB 1797 which would allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on any lot (regardless of lot size) with a single-family house, and would prohibit owner occupancy requirements. These bills would also restrict parking requirements, impact fees, and other land-use regulations for ADUs.
Senator Pedersen voted for ESSB 5812 (which has passed the Senate), and Representative Macri is a sponsor of SHB 1797.
Note: It is legal now to build ADUs in the City of Seattle.