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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, July 7, 2008 Proposed housing setbacks a worry Some in Mukilteo feel they would be limited on remodeling existing homes if the city adopts the change. By Scott Pesznecker Herald Writer MUKILTEO -- The city of Mukilteo is considering new rules to require condominiums, town houses and apartment complexes to be built farther back from small roads through neighborhoods. However, people whose homes would be too close to the roadways under the new rules fear they could be unfairly penalized. "This amendment affects hundreds of homes in Mukilteo that could become nonconforming," Mukilteo resident Peter Harwood-Stamper said. City planners propose that new multifamily homes along those small roadways be built no closer than 10 feet from the pavement, and that garages on the property be at least 18 feet back from the curb. The Mukilteo City Council plans to discuss the proposed rule changes at its meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. today at Mukilteo City Hall at 4480 Chennault Beach Road. If the new setback rules are implemented, any existing building in violation of the new rules would be designated as nonconforming, said Glen Pickus, Mukilteo's senior planner. Owners of nonconforming homes typically face restrictions on how much money they can spend on remodelling their homes, and they're not allowed to do remodels that would make their homes more nonconforming than they already are, he said. To address the concerns of homeowners, Pickus is recommending that existing homes that would be in violation of the new rules be grandfathered -- meaning homeowners wouldn't face any restrictions, as long as they don't worsen the non-conformities on their properties. Mukilteo planners set out to revise a portion of their road code after a controversial proposal to rezone land on Island View Lane highlighted a flaw in how the city has designated small, private drives. Under the proposed rezone, a small property currently zoned as single-family residential would be changed to multi-family residential, Harwood-Stamper said. The only way to get to the property is through a small private drive called Island View Lane, which also provides access to 19 condominiums. As a private drive, Island View Lane should only be allowed to serve four homes, under the wording of the city's road code, Harwood-Stamper said. For years, city planners misinterpreted the wording of how to regulate development along private drives, Pickus said. To remedy the situation, Mukilteo planners want to redesignate private drives as drive aisles, a roadway designation that would be more technically correct in serving properties with several homes or tenants, Pickus said. "This is a problem much bigger that needs to be fixed, regardless of the rezone," he said. People who live on Island View Lane don't want to be caught in the crossfire of new regulations, and they don't want the land near their homes to be rezoned, Harwood-Stamper said. "These people bought their homes recently and they're pretty shocked to see this happening," he said. Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.

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