MARYSVILLE – City officials have voted to ban so-called “air condo” developments.
The city passed a moratorium on Monday as an interim measure while zoning laws can be updated to better accommodate the new type of housing that has begun to appear in some areas.
Marysville is the third Snohomish County city to take action this summer to curb construction of the high-density form of housing.
The condos are detached, single-family homes, often cottages. Many are built on the same lot.
Community development director Gloria Hiroshima said Marysville is getting more and more proposals for these kinds of developments.
“We’re working to put some rules to provide guidance” to the City Council and to developers, she said.
She said large developments of 100 to 150 “air condo” homes are being built without the same rules that govern sub-division developments.
“We’re encountering a lot of uncertainty about what we can do” to control the developments, Hiroshima said.
She said the ban is temporary until new zoning laws are adopted, likely in the fall.
In June, Mukilteo passed a similar ban on cottage developments.
Also in June, Mill Creek asked Snohomish County to implement a six-month moratorium on “air condos” outside that city’s limits but within its urban growth boundary.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
What’s an air condo?
The term “air condo” describes a building owned by the homeower but sitting on leased land. Dues are paid to a homeowners association.
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