HomeMy WebLinkAboutVeronica_Shakotko_Renton PC Middle Housing Comment Letter-2_20250318
March 18, 2025
Renton Planning Commission
1055 S Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
RE: HB 1110 Middle Housing and HB 1337 ADU Briefing – March 19th Agenda
Dear Planning Commissioners:
With nearly 2,500 members, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish
Counties (MBAKS) is the largest local homebuilders’ association in the United States,
helping members provide a range of housing choice and attainability.
As Renton evaluates middle housing policies that will influence housing supply and
affordability, MBAKS suggests adopting codes with the following features to facilitate
the implementation of middle housing:
• Provide a streamlined review process that includes allowing concurrent review of
construction/engineering plans with the proposed preliminary plat.
• Adopt a model home building permit ordinance allowing up to 13 building permit
applications to be submitted and issued prior to final plat recording, or at a
minimum, allow up to 13 building permit applications to be submitted and
processed (but not issued) prior to final plat recording.
• Implement SEPA and planning-related actions1 to facilitate housing supply, including
middle housing.
• Reduce costs to create middle housing by waiving or greatly reducing permit fees
and impact fees, utility connection fees, and street improvement requirements.
• Do not require design review for middle housing. If Renton already has design
review in place, ensure design review is based on meeting clear and objective
standards, as required by state law, within the shortest timeframe possible.
• Adopt financial and/or regulatory incentives for property owners to renovate and
convert existing single-family homes into middle housing.
Regulatory Changes to Facilitate Middle Housing
• Allow middle housing on all lots zoned predominantly for residential use and
rename single-family zones to “neighborhood residential” (or something similar)
without reference to “single-family.”
1 Where appropriate, adopt a subarea plan pursuant to RCW 43.21C.420 together with a planned
action pursuant to RCW 43.21C.440(1)(b)(ii); Adopt a categorical exemption pursuant to RCW
43.21C.229(2) for infill residential or mixed-use development; Adopt the maximum allowable
exemption levels pursuant to WAC 197-11-800(1) for “minor new construction”
• Cities with a population greater than 25,000 should allow all middle housing types, among those
identified in House Bill 1110, that are authorized on lots zoned predominantly for residential use.2
• Adopt provisions allowing middle housing to be created for ownership through methods in addition to a
condominium.
• Allow up to 12 units per lot and provide other incentives for condominium and townhome development.
This would help leverage newly passed condo bills, which among other things, exclude buildings with 12
or fewer units that are no more than three stories3 from the definition of "multiunit residential
building."
• To incentivize development of cottage housing, allow: at least a two-for-one density bonus; cottages up
to 1,750 square feet of net floor area, excluding attached garages; and reduced side yard setbacks.
• Either eliminate mandated minimum parking requirements or significantly reduce parking requirements,
especially near transit or in areas with available street parking.
• Allow greater use of private drive access without placing limits on the number of homes that can be
served by them, to increase flexibility for site layouts, to reduce costs, and to help facilitate more
housing choices.
• Allow reduced private driveway widths of 10 feet.4
• Simplify design standards and architectural treatment requirements.
• Ensure that regulations and design standards are updated to facilitate, not inhibit, development of
middle housing.
• Provide flexibility to manage the scale of projects through lot coverage and floor area ratio (FAR).5
• For cities with a population greater than 25,000, adopt setbacks recommended in model ordinance.6
2 This includes duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes; fiveplexes and sixplexes; townhouses; stacked flats; cottage housing; and
courtyard apartments.
3 As authorized under Senate Bill 5792
4 While the model ordinance recommends private driveways shall not be required to be wider than 12 feet, some
jurisdictions, such as Seattle and Kirkland, currently allow for 10 feet.
5 Allow the following FAR at a minimum:
Unit density on the lot Minimum floor area ratio (FAR)
1 0.6
2 0.8
3 1.0
4 1.2
5 1.4
6 1.6
6 Street or front: 15 feet, except 10 feet for lots with a unit density of three or more; Street or front, garage door (where
accessed from a street): 20 feet; Side street: Five feet; Side interior: Five feet, and zero feet for attached units internal to the
development
• Exclude items from the calculation of interior floor area as recommended in the model ordinance
guidance.7
• Allow a maximum building height of 35 feet for middle housing.
• Consider adopting a form-based development code.
• Update local building codes to allow middle housing types with up to 6 units to be built under the
International Residential Code.
• Ensure local codes and design standards for tree retention/replacement do not preclude development
of middle housing on a lot or reduce the number of middle housing units that could be developed.
• Allow middle housing units to be independently metered by utilities.
• Do not require undergrounding of utilities when doing so makes project financially infeasible.
We thank you for the opportunity to comment on the middle housing policies. If you have any questions, please
don’t hesitate to contact me at vshakotko@mbaks.com or 425.435.8990. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Veronica Shakotko
Senior King County Government Affairs Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
CC: Katie Buchl-Morales, Senior Planner
Angelea Weihs, Associate Planner
7 Exclude the following from calculation of interior floor area: Cottage housing developments meeting the standards of
Section 8 of the model ordinance for cities with a population greater than 25,000; Unoccupied accessory structures, up to a
maximum equal to 250 square feet per middle housing unit; Basements, as defined by the city’s development regulations;
Unenclosed spaces such as carports, porches, balconies, and rooftop decks.