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Home My WebLink AboutCOW 2023-01-09 Item 4 - Update - Association of WA Cities Middle HousingCOUNCIL AGENDA SYNOPSIS Initials ITEM NO. ��' ii4q�, <C��, Meeting Date Prepared by Mayor's revieav Council revieav --1 1/9/23 AY a 41110 1908 ITEM INFORMATION STAFF SPONSOR: RACHEL BIANCHI ORIGINAL AGENDA DATE: 1/9/23 AGENDA ITEM TITLE AWC Middle Housing Proposal CATEGORY 0 Mtg Discussion Date 1/9/23 ❑ Motion Mtg Date ❑ Resolution Mtg Date ❑ Ordinance Mtg Date ❑ Bid Award Mtg Date ❑ PubLc Hearing Mtg Date ❑ Other Mtg Date SPONSOR 11 Council ❑ Mayor ❑ Admin Svcs ❑ DCD ❑ Finance ❑ Fire ❑ P&R ❑ Police ❑ PIV SPONSOR'S Staff is seeking Council direction on whether the City should support the Association of SUMMARY Washington Cities' (AWC) proposal on middle housing REVIEWED BY ❑ Trans&Infrastructure Svcs ❑ Community Svcs/Safety ❑ Finance & Governance ❑ Planning & Community Dev. LTAC ❑ Arts Comm. ❑ Parks Comm. ❑ Planning Comm. DATE: COMMITTEE CHAIR: RECOMMENDATIONS: SPONSOR/ADMIN. Administrative Services COMMI1IEE N/A COST IMPACT / FUND SOURCE EXPENDITURE REQUIRED AMOUNT BUDGETED APPROPRIATION REQUIRED $ $ $ Fund Source: Comments: MTG. DATE RECORD OF COUNCIL ACTION 1/9/23 MTG. DATE ATTACHMENTS 1/9/23 Informational Memorandum dated 12/21/22 AWC Housing Solutions Group Proposal 2 TO: FROM: CC: DATE: City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM Committee of the Whole Rachel Bianchi, Deputy City Administrator Mayor Ekberg December 21, 2022 SUBJECT: AWC Middle Housing Proposal ISSUE Staff is seeking consensus from the Council whether the City of Tukwila should support the Association of Washington Cities' (AWC) proposal on middle housing. DISCUSSION During the last session there was a lot of momentum around middle housing (duplexes, ADUs, DADUs, triplexes, quads, etc.) and legislation pre-empting local control was a significant part of the overall discussion on how to encourage such housing options in the State of Washington. After the session AWC formed the Housing Solutions Group (HSG) to "develop a proactive suite of legislative proposals to address the housing affordability and supply challenges." Mayor Ekberg served on the HSG, along with other city officials across the state. The proposal seeks to maximize residential density and affordability around regional transit assets, which for Tukwila would mean the area around the Tukwila International Boulevard station, the heavy rail stop at the Tukwila Sounder Station and Rapid Ride bus stops. It also provides cities with a population over 20,000 a choice of either: 1. Upzoning residential lots within 1/4 mile walking distance from schools and parks to accommodate three units per residential lot; OR 2. Zoning 75% of the residential lots in the city to allow at least three units per lot. The proposal allows jurisdictions to continue to regulate other standards, such as maintaining local development standards, height and envelope limitations. However, in order to make middle housing types feasible to develop we would need to reconsider lot coverage, owner occupancy, and parking standards. Neighborhood conditions that Tukwila would also need to explore would be utility capacity, transit access, and on -street parking to accommodate additional residents. Incorporating these increased densities would require significant changes to the Comprehensive Plan as well as the Zoning Code. The recently approved Middle Housing grant from the Department of Commerce will let Tukwila conduct outreach and determine how best to allow middle housing on 30% of our single family lots. The HSG proposals would go much further and may require that we conduct an EIS for our Comp Plan update, an action which is not currently funded. The proposal also suggests regulatory streamlining that include: • Exempting residential development from SEPA if consistent with comprehensive plan. • Eliminating external design review but allowing administrative review. • State funding for code audits to develop more streamlined permitting systems. • Support changes to the State building code to facilitate middle housing. 3 4 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 2 Momentum is clearly building for action in this coming legislative session on middle housing. AWC's proposal has received significant interest from various stakeholders, and the Seattle Times did a recent editorial in support of the proposal. RECOM MENDATION Staff recommends supporting the proposal as it maintains some local control through development standards and believes the suite of ideas can move the needle on incentivizing middle housing in our community as well as others. ATTACH MENTS AWC Housing Solutions Group Proposal https://tukwilawa.sharepoint.com/sites/mayorsoffice/cc/Council Agenda Items/Administrative Services/Middle Housing Memo 010923.docx AWC Housing Solutions Group releases proposal https://wacities.org/advocacy/News/advocacy-news/2022/ 12/09/awc-ho... We use cookies. Find out about cookies here. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our us, of cookies. Accept Advocacy Published on Dec 09, 2022 AWC Housing Solutions Group releases proposal Contact: Cairl° ScDiir edeir, Spann n III cClll�llllllaiirmd In previous articles, we have updated you on the formation and progress of the AWC Housing Solutions Group (HSG). To recap, the group of city officials spent August through November in a facilitated process, meeting several times together and a few times with external partners, including key legislators and Governor Inslee. The HSG's task was to develop a proactive suite of legislative proposals to address the housing affordability and supply challenges facing all corners of the state. To do so, the HSG narrowed the scope to areas where cities could directly impact change. The group recognized the need for a multifaceted approach that bolsters the capacity of cities to accommodate new housing construction, allow it to be built with more certainty and speed, and acknowledged the need for significantly more resources if our state is to meet the identified need for housing that is affordable to our neighbors with lower incomes. The proposal includes elements that may cause some consternation among some cities, especially the proposed zoning minimums. The HSG carefully calibrated the need to preserve local decision-making while proposing minimum standards to maximize the benefit of public investments in transit and community )ortant to note that the proposal below is a 1 of 4 OP WASHINGTON Ci I IES 5 12/21/22,9:55 AM AWC Housing Solutions Group releases proposal https://wacities.org/advocacy/News/advocacy-news/2022/ 12/09/awc-ho... We use cookies. Find out about cookies here. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our us, of cookies. Accept results in affordable housing. Maximize density and affordability around regional transit assets • No maximum density allowed within 1/2 mile walking distance of rapid transit (rail -based and bus rapid transit), if 20% of units are affordable at 80% of AMI or below for fifty years. • Cities may set minimum density and higher affordability standards. • Cities may otherwise regulate through local development standards including height and envelope limitations. Maximize utilization of community amenities or broad upzone across residential zones All cities over 20,000 must select a or b: a. Cities must allow at least three units per residential lot, in any configuration, by permitted use within 1/4 mile Stance from id community 6 2 of 4 Regulatory streamlining • Exempt all residential development from SEPA if the development intensity is consistent with what is planned for in the comprehensive plan. • Eliminate external design review boards and only allow administrative review of design standards. External design review boards include community volunteer based advisory boards. • Provide state funding assistance for voluntary code audits and to develop more online and streamlined permitting systems. • Support changes to the state building code to facilitate middle housing (e.g. apply the residential building code up to six units). Funding Infrastructure investments to support housing • Restore revenues to the Public Works Assistance Account to ensure infrastructure funding for capacity increases is available. • Continue and 12/21/22,9:55 AM AWC Housing Solutions Group releases proposal https://wacities.org/advocacy/News/advocacy-news/2022/ 12/09/awc-ho... We use cookies. Find out about cookies here. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our us, of cookies. Accept through local development standards. If no rapid transit exists in a city, city must allow at least three units per lot within a 1/4 mile walking distance of arterials. Individual lots can be excluded with a documented finding of an infrastructure deficiency. OR b. 75% of residential lots in a city must allow at least three units per lot, in any configuration, by permitted use. Cities may otherwise regulate through local development standards. ® Program. Direct funding for housing ■ Increase funding for low-income housing by at least $1 billion per year. ■ Provide a new .25% councilmanic local option REET that can be used to fund affordable rentals, affordable home ownership, and infrastructure to support housing. Allow cities to convert local REET taxes to "progressive tiers" mirroring the state. ■ Provide additional flexibility for use of lodging taxes for affordable housing. ■ Increase funding for cities to plan for housing and density increases. With the release of this proposal, AWC staff are sharing it with our partners and working to develop legislative proposals to advance these ideas. In the coming weeks we will be developing and sharing advocacy materials that you can use to talk to your legislators about this comprehensive proposal that we believe will meaningfully address the housing crisis in the state. Advocacy Affordable housing Land use & planning articles 3 of 4 Recent 7 12/21/22,9:55 AM AWC Housing Solutions Group releases proposal https://wacities.org/advocacy/News/advocacy-news/2022/ 12/09/awc-ho... We use cookies. Find out about cookies here. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our us, of cookies. Accept an election recap and a close - What does it final prepping for session mean for the legislative session? AWC's 2023 legislative agenda set & budget priorities shared Ileac I 8 4 of 4 Adv cacy news by categ iry 12/21/22,9:55 AM