Planning 2017-10-26 ITEM 4 - ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT REGULATION - STAFF REPORT

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L17-0067 ADU Regulation Update Page 4 • Reduce the lot area requirement from 7,200 square feet to the LDR minimum lot area of 6,500 square feet for both attached and detached ADUs Alternatives: A. Retain the 7,200 SF standard, Or B. Select different standards for attached and detached ADUs 4. Retain the owner occupancy requirement Owner occupancy is required by all of our neighboring jurisdictions and Tukwila could attract more absentee landlords if we were the only one in the area without that requirement. Enforcing the occupancy requirement has been a challenge even though we do require an affidavit to be recorded on the property's title. If an owner were temporarily unable to live on site due to a work assignment, illness, or extended travel they would need to keep one of the units (house or ADU) vacant. Alternative: A. Remove owner occupancy requirement 5. Retain Parking Requirements In residential zones houses and apartments with up to 3 bedrooms are required to provide 2 parking spaces, with 1 additional space for every 2 bedrooms. ADUs up to 600 SF (generally 1 bedroom) are required to have 1 additional space while units over 600 SF (generally 2 bedroom) are required to have 2 additional spaces. Tukwila, like its surrounding cities, averages 1.8 cars per household. Many of Tukwila's neighborhoods do not have on -street parking to accommodate additional vehicles. Of our neighboring cities only SeaTac requires a second parking space for larger ADUs. Alternatives: A. Reduce the parking requirement to 1 space per ADU of any size, Or B. Allow a waiver of the second space for ADUs over 600 SF if the ADU is located on a block with on -street parking 6. Provide an amnesty period for registration of illegal ADUs We periodically become aware of illegal ADUs through code enforcement complaints and the rental housing licensing program. Often these units have significant life safety issues because they have not been built to meet building and electrical codes. We would like to incentivize property owners to register these units and bring them up to code for the safety of the tenants. Providing some flexibility on standards such as height, area, and parking would allow more units to qualify. However, retaining the owner occupancy requirement is likely to be a barrier for some landlords. W:A@SHAREPOINT FOLDER RESTRUCTURE\Code Updates\Code Amendments\ADU Proposal\PC Staff Report 10-26-17.docx 12