Title
Approval of Middle Housing Code Amendments
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Move to accept the Planning Commission recommendation to adopt the proposed Middle Housing Code Amendments, with revisions, and forward to the full Council for approval.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to accept the Planning Commission recommendation to adopt the proposed Middle Housing Code Amendments, with revisions, and forward to the full Council for approval.
Report
Issue:
Whether to accept the Planning Commission recommendation to adopt the proposed Middle Housing Code Amendments, with revisions, and forward to the full Council for approval.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Planning Manager, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Planning Manager
Background and Analysis:
In 2023 and 2024, Washington State passed laws that require the City of Olympia to address middle housing, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and co-living housing in its development regulations. Implementing these new requirements will require modifications to multiple Titles in the Olympia Municipal Code (OMC), although the majority of the changes are to OMC 18.04, Residential Districts.
To help community members understand the types of changes that would be needed, Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) staff prepared information sheets for Middle Housing, ADUs, and Co-Living Housing. The intention was to highlight the primary new requirements of the bills with a focus on what is not already addressed in the OMC. Below is a summary of each, and the information sheets can be found on the project webpage (see Attachment 7):
Middle Housing
* The City must now allow more than one unit per lot on all lots zoned primarily for residential use
* The number of units allowed on a lot increases for affordable housing
* The number of units allowed on a lot increases within a certain distance of key transi...
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