There are currently no cottage housing developments in the city of Lake Forest Park. But that could surely change.
Lake Forest Park’s planning commission is considering an ordinance that would temporarily allow as many as two cottage housing developments in the city. If approved, the ordinance would permit the city to test cottage housing on a limited basis. The ordinance stipulates a maximum of 12 cottages per development.
“It would be a one-time process and would sunset after that and would cease to exist,” said city planning director Steven Bennett. “The council would have to readopt it to do the same kind of thing again.”
Cottage housing is generally defined as a grouping of small, detached single-family dwelling units clustered around a common space. An informational meeting for the community was held on Feb. 13, to provide residents with an opportunity to review and comment on a draft ordinance. This was the first of several opportunities for public input.
Adopting a temporary ordinance is a fairly common procedure in municipalities, said assistant city planner Shana Restall, in order to see if it works well in a community.
The idea behind cottage housing is that it would provide a diversity of housing options in the city, and it appeals to single parents, elderly and professionals who simply want smaller housing options, said Restall.
“We have an aging population that would like to be able to stay in their cities,” said Restall, “but a lot of people have to downsize.”
The proposed ordinance comes after the planning commission and city staff spent a year assessing cottage housing in other nearby cities. They visited various developments and conferred with developers. It was eventually determined that cottage housing was something they’d like to recommend with a cautious approach, said Bennett.
Other nearby cities, such as Kirkland and Redmond, allow cottage housing, while other cities also are considering the housing option. Yet city officials in Shoreline just last year repealed its cottage housing ordinance.
“We decided a demonstration project process is the best way to go now, instead of adopting something like Shoreline did and finding problems and having to repeal it,” Bennett said.
“As Shoreline just adopted the cottage housing ordinance without a sunset clause, we would like to be more cautious,” agreed Restall.
Some residents are supportive of the temporary ordinance, while others have had more negative reactions, said Bennett.
“It’s a mix,” Bennett said, “but generally positive at this point.”
Restall said she’s also heard opinions from both ends of the spectrum at this point and doesn’t “get a sense that the community is more for or against it,” at this point.
The proposed ordinance would require potential developers to give a presentation during a public meeting to the planning commission. After an analysis of each project, the planning commission could select as many as two applications or decide that none are appropriate.
If the planning commission approves a project, a public hearing would then be held for each application and the Hearing Examiner would review the selected projects before making a recommendation to the city council as to whether the selected project meets the specific criteria of the ordinance. The city council has the final say on approving projects for construction.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
