By Edmonds Citizen Housing Commission / For The Herald
When the City of Edmonds created the Citizens Housing Commission in 2019, it defined its mission: “Develop, for council consideration, diverse housing policy options designed to expand the range of housing (including rental and owned) available in Edmonds; irrespective of age, gender, race, religious affiliation, physical disability or sexual orientation.”
For 18-months, two dozen Edmonds residents, selected by City Council, listened to the public, researched housing issues, investigated future needs and worked as a team, with public input, to create those options.
The Citizens Housing Commission sought more public input than any other Edmonds commission, including:
Four open houses, one in person and three online.
Four city-wide surveys from February to December 2020.
Every meeting was live-streamed, every action posted on the City website.
More than 2,000 residents participated in the open houses and surveys.
Their input and the questions raised in the open houses helped form the proposals.
The Commission did not create new laws or zoning. Only the council can do that. We provided options’ the city may consider.
Among the commission’s goals:
Our neighbors should include our police, fire fighters, teachers, nurses and all who make Edmonds a real city.
Our seniors should be able to downsize and still afford to live in Edmonds.
Our housing should provide more affordable options, such as small duplexes, cluster-style cottages, multi-family units with provisions for lower and middle-income families, detached accessory dwelling units, housing young families can afford and housing for veterans and those with disabilities
Of the 15 policies submitted to the council, several focused directly on housing types, including:
Develop design requirements and zoning changes to allow home-ownership of two attached single-family homes (duplex or two-unit townhouses) in single-family residential areas compatible with those neighborhoods.
Establish new single-family zoning that allows construction of zero-lot line duplexes, triplexes, and four-plexes of only 1- or 2-story height located.
Near or along high-volume transit routes.
Next to Neighborhood Business (BN) zoning districts.
Close to schools or medical complexes.
Develop sub-area plans, like the one at Westgate, to rethink areas zoned Business Neighborhoods, such as Five-Corners, Perrinville and others.
Sub-area plans can create unique, thriving residential, social gathering places and shops to integrate missing middle housing and business and protect our environment.
Add cluster and cottage housing as an option in single-family or multi-family areas.
Allow one attached or detached accessory dwelling unit on a single-family property with development requirements on size, ownership and parking.
Strengthen current design standards for new multi-family dwellings to maintain and enhance the unique characteristics of Edmonds.
We ask Edmonds residents to let the City Council know that you support these policy recommendations and all of the Edmonds Citizens Housing Commission proposals.
Send your Council emails to: council@edmondswa.gov.
To see all commission proposals, go to www.citizenshousingcommission.org/
We hope the City Council will consider our policy proposals and tailor these recommendations to fit our community. The commission’s proposals are the beginning of planning a welcoming and diverse community for all.
The future of Edmonds is up to all of us.
Edmonds Citizen Housing Commission members and alternates: Tana Axtelle, Jess Blanch, Judi Gladstone, Tanya Kataria, Greg Long, Alena Nelson-Vietmeier, Rick Nishino and Bob Throndsen.
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