City of Seattle Proposes Expanding BackYard Cottages

The city of Seattle today announced a proposal expanding the use of backyard cottages to the rest of the city (allowed in SE Seattle since 2006).  This land use proposal addresses several needs and opportunities that exist within our communities.  Read the press release for more info:

SEATTLE – More homeowners would have the option to build backyard cottages, under

legislation proposed today by Mayor Greg Nickels. While backyard cottages are found

in many cities, here they are currently allowed in southeast Seattle only.

“In these difficult times, now more than ever, people are asking for a range of good

housing choices,” said Nickels. “Backyard cottages offer a small, but important choice.

Whether it’s for a family member, an option to downsize, or simply a financial decision

that allows you to stay in your home, the backyard cottage can be a real-life solution.”

Backyard cottages have been described as “mother-in-law units with a little more

breathing room.” Since 1994, Seattle has allowed attached accessory dwelling units,

which are attached to or inside principal residences. Since 2006, homeowners in southeast

Seattle have been allowed to build backyard cottages. A backyard cottage is a small

dwelling unit on the same lot as, but physically separate from, a single-family house.

So far, 14 backyard cottages have been built in southeast Seattle, many of them above

garages. Yolinda Ward and her partner Lynn downsized to a 620 square foot backyard

cottage. Now, her godson, his wife and new baby live in the main house. “It’s like a

tree house,” Ward said. “It gives us a warm, bright and separate space to live, while still

staying close and being a part of the upbringing of their 15-month-old son.”

Under the proposal, homeowners in other neighborhoods would also be allowed to build

backyard cottages under certain conditions, including requiring the owner to live on the

premises. There would be an annual limit of 50 new cottages citywide. “Backyard cottages

are a perfect solution to most of the things we worry about in Seattle: affordable housing,

and allowing people to stay in their homes in single-family neighborhoods,” says Kate

Martin, Greenwood neighborhood resident. “We need this option in my neighborhood.”

To ensure a cottage fits within the neighborhood, the lot must be at least 4,000 square

feet in area, with minimum width and depth requirements. The principal house and

backyard cottage combined must not exceed the current 35 percent lot coverage limit for

single-family zones. A cottage can be no more than 800 square feet in area, with a

height limit of 15 to 23 feet, depending on lot width, and off-street parking is required.

-moreBackyard

cottages offer more choice for Seattle families

March 19, 2009

Page 2 of 2

In a survey of 118 neighbors living near permitted backyard cottages in southeast

Seattle, 96 respondents felt that owners of single-family homes should be allowed the

choice. More than half the respondents living near backyard cottages were not actually

aware they had been built, because the cottages are often not visible from the street.

Other cities and jurisdictions allowing backyard cottages include Clyde Hill, Issaquah,

Kirkland, Mercer Island, Shoreline, Newcastle, Redmond, parts of unincorporated King

County, Woodinville, Yarrow Point, Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C. Legislation

will be submitted to council shortly.

In addition, the mayor and the Seattle Planning Commission announced the release of

the commission’s new Guide to Building a Backyard Cottage in Southeast Seattle. The

guide was prepared to help a homeowner successfully design and build a backyard

cottage. Subjects in the guide include site planning, designing for privacy, green design

ideas, as well as sample designs and construction and permitting information. The guide

is directed to development in southeast Seattle, where backyard cottages are already

allowed, but can be quickly adapted for use by homeowners in other neighborhoods.

“The Seattle Planning Commission is pleased to provide this guide for creating attractive

backyard cottages that are designed to fit well in their neighborhoods,” said the

commission chair, Linda Amato.

To view the guide: http://www.seattle.gov/planningcommission/

For more information about backyard cottages with pictures and examples:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Backyardcottages

Get the Nickels Newsletter and the mayor’s inside view on transportation, public safety,

economic opportunity and healthy communities. Sign up at mayor.seattle.gov

###