An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a small, self-contained residential unit located on the same lot as an existing single-family home. But, now its important for all homeowners to take new factors into consideration. SDOT Director Greg Spotts was our guest on February 15. Should I Build a Second Story on My Shed? Snohomish Countys long-awaited reform of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) has finally come to pass. Substandard lots are lots that do not meet the minimum lot size of the underlying zone. As more suburban development goes into rural areas, this has the consequence of increasing carbon emissions, impervious surfaces, vehicle miles traveled, deforestation, and sprawl. How to Finance a Highway Spending Spree: Records Reveal Oregons Plans for Toll Hikes, One per lot with a single-family residence, provided that an ADU is not permitted on a lot that has a temporary dwelling unit, In urban zones, one AADU and one DADU are permitted per lot with a single-family residence; and in rural, resource, or other zones, one ADU is permitted per lot with a single-family residence, provided that DADUs are not permitted on lots that do not meet the minimum lot size for the zone and DADUs as mobile homes are only permitted on lots that are 10 acres in size or more, 20% to 40% of the floor area of the primary residence, depending up size, up to 1,500 square, provided that an AADU cannot be less than 360 square feet and the primary residence cannot be reduced to less than 900 square feet, 1,200 square feet, excluding garages, porches, and unfinished basements, 40% of the floor area of the primary residence or 850 square feet, whichever is less, provided that a DADU cannot be less than 360 square feet, In residential, multiple family, and commercial zones, a DADU cannot be located beyond the primary residence front unless well landscaped or compatible, In urban zones, no off-street parking space is required; one off-street parking space is required per ADU in other zones, An owner-occupancy covenant must be recorded, Maximum separation between the primary residence and DADU is generally 100 feet, except for DADUs in a legally constructed accessory structure prior to the ADU reform legislation adoption, and ADUs must use the same driveway as the primary residence, ADUs must be screened with a six-foot high fence or five-foot wide high intensity landscape screening, No longer applicable, except that DADUs are not permitted on lots in non-urban zones that do not meet the applicable minimum lot area, In zones where permitted, an administrative conditional use permit is required, In zones where permitted, the use is permitted outright. <> Look no further. See all posts by Mario Lotmore, By Emily Countryman | Ideal Wellness | Sponsored Featured The first day of school is right around the corner! 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, M/S 609. However, the step was unusual given that it was directly at odds with the Growth Management Act (GMA) and regional growth policy that directly discourage population growth in rural areas. Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, a Seattle Port commissioner and rising star in local politics, joined us for our June virtual meetup. Mario Lotmore is originally from The Bahamas and for the last seven years has called Mukilteo, WA his home. The changes lift this restriction entirely. WebAn accessory dwelling units in Snohomish County are referred to as Accessory Apartment Attached and Accessory Apartment Detached Accessory Apartment McCoy is advocacy director of Real Change and leads the House Our Neighbors campaign that crafted the Seattle social housing initiative. Since the start of Covid things have really changed, the possible loss and fearof losing a part of your family or friends, has madeus look more into what can be doneto add more security to our family units. k#2)Xf%0#)g#r This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, 10 Things to Consider When Buying an Outdoor Shed, 8 things Never to Store in a Storage Shed. However, the original ordinance left restrictions to Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADU) in rural areas of Snohomish County. Accessory apartments as Snohomish County calls them are allowed in almost every single family and multifamily residential urban zone of Snohomish County. Watch the video. This target was supposed to be lower at 3.0%, but county officials successfully lobbied for a higher sprawl number. You can check the zoning for your property by visiting the Snohomish County website and searching for your property by address. Dunn said not everyone has cars, and the mandate adds a financial hurdle to creating an ADU. Matt Hutchins was our November guest. Watch the video. To receive a Property Evaluation, to see if you can build a ADU, please fill in the form below. The key proposed changes in the countys ADU regulations are as follows: The Snohomish County Council is the next stop for the legislation, which so far has not had an initial briefing. It is located on the same lot, under the same ownership as, and subordinate to a single-family dwelling unit; It is physically separated from and located in a different structure than the primary dwelling unit; It is intended for use as a complete, independent living facility; and. January 2022. Matt Hutchins was our November guest. The county says that from 2012 to 2019, it issued permits for just 100 ADUs in the rural area (3 attached and 97 detached). The Tribune wants to find out. Except as noted otherwise, all content is licensed under a, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), original staff recommendation to the planning commission, pushed for a much higher number at 1,600 square feet, Kenmore and Kirkland Reform Accessory Dwelling Regulations, Snohomish County Could Be Next, Northgates Construction Spree Is Just Starting, Mid-Year Service Changes Lead with Link Light Rail Frequency Improvements, Washington Legislatures New Thinking About Housing, Our Coalition Does Not Take Excuses: Matthew Mitnick Runs for Seattle City Council District 4, Washingtons Middle Housing Bill Is Still Alive with Further Amendments, SDOTs Top to Bottom Review of Vision Zero Barely Skims the Surface, Lawsuits Block Thousands of Downtown Seattle Homes, $39 Million for Affordable Housing. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014. Having options for our seniors who want to live close to family, but yet separate, and options for our young people who are trying to save but still need a place in transition can happen more easily with the passage of this ADU ordinance. ADUs offer the U.S. the chance to achieve several key policy goals at this point in time, which Ill enumerate below. a.: 1. hbbd```b``"WR0y D2yH;`B,g$Qb~ZU "Y`RLE"IuA "d|ds0 67b`30"?S R# We talked Comp Plan, design review reform, the prospect of a Seattle Sixplex, and more. Box 499, Snohomish, WA 98291, email to editor.tribune@snoho.com Watch for the Jan. 25 Tribune to But even if it stands, Snohomish County is going to have a difficult time complying with regional growth policy for rural areas without significantly adopting new legislation to put the breaks on rural growth. WebAccessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a small, separate living unit built on the same lot as a single-family home. Darya Farivar, The Urbanist Elections Committees endorsed candidate in LD46, was our October Urbanist Meetup guest. 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All shared the similar sentiment that this action by the council will help multigeneration families to live near one another and provide some relief to the housing shortage in the county. Generally, the legislation was much more permissive toward ADUs in the county, particularly in urban areas. This change seems to have come about due to personal outlooks by some councilmembers on allowing more infill on single-family lots and spotty community opposition. Yanity recognized for decades of service as Stillaguamish leader - North County Outlook, Jan. 11, 2022. Register for the Zoom Link. The R-5 zone is the most ubiquitous rural zone in the county. Can you have an ADU? Register for the Zoom Link. 4 0 obj So for many DADUs, it will be possible to construct 25-foot to 30-foot tall buildings in low density residential zones. The regulations restrict ADUs to a maximum floor area of 1,200 square feet, which is about the size of a modest doublewide mobile home. If you are interested in turning a structure in your backyard into a rentable space to bring in more income or have an extended family member or adult child move in while still giving them their own space you have probably run into the term Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU. Original contents copyrighted by Pacific Publishing Company, all rights reserved. Theres no floor area limit on unfinished basements and attached garages. We talked Comp Plan, design review reform, the prospect of a Seattle Sixplex, and more. With aspiring homeowner developers, I dont typically focus on the civic motivations of why everyone should build them. Even the smallest slivers of historically deeded lands that may functionally be part of a contemporary lot can be recognized as long as it has sufficient legal access. A:Yes. The Snohomish County Zoning Code requires compliance with the following standards in order to qual- ify for and retain a permit for a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit: Floor area: The floor area for a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit shall not exceed 1,200 square feet (floor accessory dwelling unit, to your property, consider these legal, design and financial implications. In her full justification for voting against that amendment, Council Chair Wright said: This [legislation] would require one car and what weve seen in [the urban] area is that even though people are using [public] transportation, tend to still have one car and actually a bigger need for parking because they are taking the bus and doing other activities, but like true Washingtonians we like to have our car for weekend recreation and our trips to Costco and other things. She also added that shes received many parking complaints in her urban district and was hesitant to support a parking reduction because there hadnt been a parking analysis conducted. Vision 2050 Has Passed. Under the recently adopted regional growth plan, Vision 2050, the plan explicitly states that Snohomish Countys rural growth through 2050 is limited to 4.5% of allocated population growth or 18,500 more residents. An accessory dwelling units in Snohomish County are referred to as Accessory Apartment Attached and Accessory Apartment Detached. Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. The council approved 4-1. Why ADU's by -Kol Peterson - Building a ADU.com. Maybe its your relative? With the budget season ahead, final adoption of the legislation is probably still a ways off, making sometime in December the best case scenario. 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