Yesterday Mayor Jenny Durkan signed into law the ordinance loosening rules for ADUs and restricting the building of “McMansions.” She also signed an executive order directing several actions intended to expedite the design, permitting and construction of ADUs and to make them more affordable to build.
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Council passes ADU ordinance
This afternoon, the City Council passed into law an ordinance loosening rules on Accessory Dwelling Units (aka ADUs), often referred to as “backyard cottages” and “mother-in-law apartments.”
Continue readingCouncil passes ADU legislation out of committee
This afternoon, the legislation loosening restrictions on “accessory dwelling units” or ADUs passed out of committee and will be up for final approval by the full Council on July 1. For background, read my post from earlier this week on the amendments being considered. Most of the amendments under consideration passed. Among the few that didn’t: Amendment 4, offered by Council member Herbold, would have prohibited newly-permitted ADUs from being used for short-term rentals through AirBnB and other companies. O’Brien and Pacheco opposed it, while Harrell supported it from “detached” ADUs only. Amendment 5, also by Herbold, which would have …
Continue readingHearing examiner rules for city in ADU EIS appeal
This afternoon, the Office of the Hearing Examiner released its ruling on an appeal of the adequacy of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the City Council’s proposed legislation relaxing rules on the construction of ADUs (aka “mother in law apartments” and “backyard cottages”) in single-family residential zones in Seattle.
Continue readingThe reports are in on proposed new rules on backyard cottages
Council member Mike O’Brien’s proposal to increase the number of mother-in-law apartments and “backyard cottages” has been on hold for over two years, since the Hearing Examiner ruled in late 2016 that a full Environmental Impact Statement was required. The final EIS was published last week, and once the inevitable appeals are dealt with that hurdle will have been crossed. But later this week, O’Brien’s office will hold a special meeting to discuss a Racial Equity Toolkit evaluation of the proposal that looked on how it will affect underserved communities at risk of displacement. Let’s look at what the final …
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