Cluster of homes

Closely bunched developments such as Everett’s Donegal Lane subdivision try to answer the growing demand for affordable home ownership.

By Kate Reardon

Herald Writer

A new neighborhood community in the works near Silver Lake will allow home buyers to choose from 22 floor plans for homes with price tags from the low $180,000s to the mid $250,000s.

The Donegal Lane development, planned for an area in south Everett near Silver Lake at 2420 118th Place SE, is what is known as a cluster subdivision.

Floor plans range from three to five bedrooms and provide more living space, said Marie Geiger of the Fearey Group working with Quadrant Homes.

Quadrant Homes, the state’s largest single-family home builder, plans 57 single-family units on more than eight acres.

The development is unique in that it will also have some alley-access lots.

It’s only been a few years since Everett adopted the regulations that allow for developments such as Donegal Lane. And the city could see more of these development applications in the future.

"They are just coming in," said Don Wood, a planner for the city of Everett. "We’ve had three in one spill, one that’s under construction and another almost under construction. Hopefully, they can provide more affordable housing."

The city made changes to some of its lot size requirements after a study in the early 1990s on housing and how housing in Everett has changed over time.

"We wanted to create more homeownership in Everett, because of our (lower) percentages of homeownership," Koenig said. In 1990, homeownership was at 45 percent, while rentals were 55 percent of the housing market, Koenig said.

"A lot of that was because we had a surge in the late ’80s in apartments being built," Koenig said. "So we had a desire to do is create more opportunities for homeownership."

The city allowed for some smaller lots in an attempt to increase the number of homes and accept increased population under the state’s Growth Management Act, Koenig said.

Developments such as Donegal Lane reflect those changes.

Homes there will be closely bunched throughout the site, with nearly an acre set aside as open space.

Neighbors will be able to use a sport court for basketball or pickle ball. A smaller park area with picnic tables and a swing set is also planned. Houses will range from 1,102 square feet to 3,162 square feet.

People interested in the Donegal Lane development can choose details they want in a home at Quadrant’s new-home showroom in Bellevue. The 10,000-square-foot showroom allows home buyers to see and touch options for their new home.

For more information on the development, call 425-357-8169.

You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455

or send e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.