​The City of Seattle is considering 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.
• Allowing both a mother-in-law apartment (ADU) and a backyard cottage (DADU) on the same lot.
• Removing the off-street parking requirement.
• Permitting up to 12 unrelated persons to live on a single-family lot.
• Allowing backyard cottages (DADUs) on lots less than 4,000 square feet.
• Increasing height limits to allow structures up to 27 feet tall, which is 2½ stories.

​These changes could have profound impacts on single-family neighborhoods throughout the city, both inside and outside of urban villages. The HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability) Strategy SF.2 proposes allowing more variety of housing types in single family zones, including duplexes and triplexes.  By allowing three units (a principal dwelling and an ADU and a DADU) on a single-family lot, this proposal moves towards the HALA goal of allowing multi-family dwellings on single-family lots. This, in addition to no parking and increased residents, could drastically affect the livability and character of single-family neighborhoods.
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City Councilmember Lisa Herbold visited the Seattle Neighborhood Coalition on May 14. She explained that the City Council is now beginning to review the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan in various committees.

Contrary to usual practice, she said, the elements of the Comp Plan will be split among committees by topic, rather than being handled exclusively in the Land Use committee. After the initial hearings, amendments will be proposed in the Land Use committee.

​Here’s the schedule of committee hearings on the Comp Plan, as provided by Ms. Herbold.

It always drives us crazy that the city has important meetings in the summer.  But this can’t be avoided; you should really pay attention to the upcoming HALA Focus Group meetings.   These groups have been created to advise the city on the specifics of the Grand Bargain as it will “appear” in your neighborhood.  Beginning in late May, they will be discussing zone wide changes to support the Grand Bargain in terms of height and density changes and possibly where those might be located within the neighborhoods.  

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Queen Anne Community Council - Land Use Review Committee and Planning Committee​

16 May 2016  6:30 - 9:00 PM
Queen Anne Community Center
1901 1st Ave West, 98119
 
We will devote our entire May LURC meeting to a community discussion of the Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA).  We have invited city officials and urban planners to attend and address our questions and register our concerns. 
 
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Posted on May 3, 2016 by jvf4119“Hundreds of low cost housing units and small businesses and unique character of our diverse community – all are threatened.”
You’re Invited: Important Community Forum on the City’s upzone plan and how it affects your home, low cost housing, and small business.
Monday, May 16th – 7:00-8:30 PM – University Heights Community Center Room 209, 5031 University Way NE

For more information visit "Outside City Hall"

Agenda items 5 & 6 are "Briefing on Mandatory Housing Affordability - Residential Program" and "Briefing on Equity in the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan and the Equitable Development Implementation Plan." Links to these presentations and the committee agenda can be found here:

Please attend and make a public comment. If you are unable to attend, please email the PLUZ committee members to express your concerns.
rob.johnson@seattle.gov; lisa.herbold@seattle.gov; lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov; mike.obrien@seattle.gov