Planning 2012-01-26 Attachment B - Memo with Attachments

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INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 3 As part of the Comprehensive Plan update the City of Tukwila will review the policies in the residential neighborhoods chapter. The policies related to neighborhood quality; density requirements; accessory dwelling units; street layout and sidewalk requirements; orientation of the home; accessory structures and other broader policies will be reviewed and discussed as part of that process. However if the Committee decides to review development standards such as building height, setbacks, building footprint and floor area ratio at this time then staff has laid out some options to consider for further discussion. OPTIONS If the Community Affairs and Parks Committee would like to review the development standards in the LDR zone then listed below are some options: 1) Change the Zoning Code to require a different method of calculating the building height on sloping lots; 2) Amend the standards that regulate bulk by: a) Increasing the rear yard setback in LDR for all houses from 10 to 15 feet and to 25 feet if the house has a third story (with a possible exception for alley accessed garages or accessory structures); and /or b) Choose either i) or ii) listed below: i) Allow administrative approval to allow variances up to 10% of the building footprint standard if certain standards are met such as compatibility in scale with the adjoining homes; modulation of the fagade; and /or larger than required setbacks are provided; or ii) Adopt a graduated FAR standard similar to the building footprint standard, where the percentage decreases as the lot size increases. 3) No Action. RECOMMENDATION The options listed above under #1 and #2 will result in slightly reducing the size and the bulk of the homes that could be built in Tukwila. However none of the changes to the building standards would make a significant difference in the bulk of the house that was the source of the neighborhood complaint. Staff recommends that at a minimum the method of calculating building height on sloping lots be revised. If the Committee wishes to look at options 1 and 2, staff recommends that this item be forwarded to the Planning Commission for further review. Staff would bring back the Planning Commission's recommendation to the City Council for final action. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Tukwila's Single Family Development Standards Attachment B: Comparison of development standards of the neighboring jurisdictions Attachment C: Methods of calculating building height MD 3 10 -5 -2011 WA2011 Info Memos Council \SingleFamDevStandards.doc 19