LYNNWOOD — Making it easier to live and work in the same city is one of the selling points for Carriage Gardens, an unusual new development in Lynnwood.
"The hope was to see if we could build in a price range that would allow employees working in Lynnwood the opportunity to live in the city," said Ross Case, the manager of East Campus LLC, which owns the Carriage Gardens property under the name of White Star Development.
Ron Hough, Lynnwood’s planning manager, agreed, saying they should appeal primarily to working professional couples, retired seniors and small families starting out.
Now under construction across from Edmonds Community College, the development will have 36 small lots, 2,000 square feet or less, for individually owned, single-family craftsman-style homes.
Case said East Campus LLC wanted to keep costs on its new development low enough to make it affordable to city, college and health district workers. The small lot sizes and relatively small homes will cost less to build than the larger houses on sizable lots that are the hallmark of new suburban subdivisions.
Case and Hough think the effort will end successfully.
"I don’t think there are any other brand-new houses being built in Lynnwood for under $300,000," Hough said.
While buyers will own their homes, their garages and the land directly underneath both, the surrounding gardens and public spaces, including driveways and roads, all will be under the care of a homeowner’s association.
Five of the homes, priced at $244,950, will have two bedrooms, two full bathrooms and one-car garages. The remaining homes, priced starting at $271,950, will offer 2 1/2bathrooms, three bedrooms and bonus rooms behind two-car garages.
Inside, all of the craftsman-style homes will have energy-efficient lighting, 9-foot ceilings downstairs, cathedral ceilings in the upper bedrooms and interior finishes selected by award-winning Seattle designer Markie Nelson. Outside, all the models have alley-entry garages and large front porches.
"It’s a more traditional type of neighborhood concept," Case said. "As you drive down our main street, you’re not looking at garage faces. You’re looking at houses and garden areas in between."
The developer worked closely with the city to win approval for the unique community, which didn’t fit neatly into the pre-existing zoning for multifamily use. With narrower private roads, smaller lots and multiple dwellings planned for one, undivided piece of property, it also wouldn’t meet city codes for a subdivision.
Hough explained that Lynnwood typically requires much larger lot sizes and much wider roads. That, coupled with a short supply of available land within the city has driven up land and development costs.
So, Carriage Gardens successfully underwent the city’s Planned Unit Development process, earning final approval from the council in October. Intended for just such unusual proposals, the planned development process includes public hearings and comment, but provides developers with flexibility in addressing some codes.
Hough said the city staff is excited about Carriage Gardens because it meets neighborhood planning goals.
"The college district has a very high percentage of multiple family units — nine out of every 10. The city council would like to see more single family development and homeownership," he said. "This fits right in with that objective."
The property, located at 6600 198th Place SW, was home to EdCC’s international student dorm until 1997, and the college later leased the building for offices. East Campus LLC bought the land in 2002.
Case said Doug Herman, owner of the development’s general contractor, Edmonds-based Blueprint Development, had been trying to sell East Campus on a cottage-style development for some time. He said Herman was hoping the unique approach would have the lower-cost advantage that condo development offered before that style of dwelling became a target for lawsuits and high insurance premiums.
In addition, Case and co-listing agent Debra Herman of James R. Braun &Associates expect to be met with a market hungry for cottage-style homes in Lynnwood.
"It’s an affordable way to own your own home close in, without sharing any walls," Herman said, noting that Carriage Gardens is within walking distance of a golf course, park, jogging trail, ice rink and public transportation access. "We’ve already had excellent response."
Herman added that her real estate firm has handled numerous inquiries about pre-construction sales since posting the lots on the Multiple Listings Service in November.
Hough, who recently wrote about Carriage Gardens in the city’s newsletter, said he too has fielded a number of calls about the development.
"Quite of a few people are interested in the concept," he said.
Kristin Fetters-Walp is a Lake Stevens freelance writer.
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