News - Local News - Growth

POSTED: Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008

City unveils plans for new types of housing

BELLINGHAM - Planners have unveiled 13 new types of higher-density housing, ranging from mother-in-law suites to six-story buildings, and they hope neighbors and property owners will find places to put them.

The city hopes that by giving developers flexibility to build smaller homes in different configurations, new populations can be accommodated inside city limits and the city won't have to expand outward. But some of the housing types, such as attached and detached mother-in-law units, could see resistance from people who fear they'll damage the character of single-family neighborhoods.

The city says it won't force these new housing types on neighbors. Instead, planners will provide them as options and wait for neighborhoods and property owners to propose locations for them, city planner Chris Koch said. The City Council would still approve locations for housing types.

"This is going to be a toolkit that will then be available to the neighborhoods to then go in and choose which ones are appropriate for their neighborhoods," he said. "We don't want to force these on anybody. We want the neighborhoods to take the initiative.

"I think neighborhoods do want to see some alternatives," he added.

Consultants LMN Architects helped draft the new housing types after the city hosted four workshops with residents from late April through late May. They're still drafts, and the public can still comment on them.

The city hopes the new forms - most of which take up less land than traditional houses - will help Bellingham accommodate new residents. Current building regulations make it tough or impossible to build anything between traditional single-family houses and apartment buildings, Koch said. Kulshan Community Land Trust's 14-home Matthei Place development, located at Harris Avenue and 15th Street, is a good example of infill development, but it was only possible under city law because it's designated affordable housing, he said. The homes sit on about one acre, each on roughly 3,000 square feet of land.

A neighborhood leader and a builder both said they look forward to the new housing types.

"From the neighborhood perspective, I think we have an opportunity to do some creative things," said Edie Norton, president of the Columbia Neighborhood Association. Her neighborhood will discuss bringing those housing types to a redeveloped Fountain District, near Broadway and Meridian Street.

And the draft housing specifications ensure they won't be too large for the lot and out of character with single-family neighborhoods, she said.

It's too early to tell whether the requirements will be flexible enough to make the project possible for developers and builders, said Jim Bishop, owner of Bishop Construction Inc. and a member of Bellingham's Planning Commission. But the city will have to lighten up with requirements because currently it's easy to get a permit for a 5,000-square-foot house, but it becomes impossible with smaller units at higher densities, he said.

Still, he thinks it's good to give builders something other than the 1950s-style housing they're currently building, especially to provide affordable housing, said Bishop, a supporter of accessory dwelling units, more commonly called mother-in-law suites.

"I think it's exciting, coming from a builder's standpoint," he said.

But resistance to small-lot housing has already popped up.

On a vacant four acres along Sunset Drive, developer David Edelstein is proposing to build 49 homes, an average of one house per 3,600 square feet, a mix of cottages, carriage houses and townhouses. The Sunnyland Neighborhood Association, concerned about too much density there, wanted 28 houses, or about one house per 6,300 square feet.

The new housing list includes what are called "small lot" and "smaller lot" houses. Small lot houses could be built on between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet, and smaller lot could be built on between 1,800 and 3000 square feet, under the draft list.

SAMPLES OF HOUSING TYPE REQUIREMENTS
The city of Bellingham's draft "infill toolkit" includes 13 types of new housing that neighbors and property owners could areas. The City Council would have to approve allowing them in specific areas. The following is just a few of the requirements for each type of housing:
Smaller lot

• Located on parcels of between 1,800 and 3,000 square feet.
• No single floor could be more than 600 square feet.
• At least one off-street parking spot per unit if there's street parking and a nearby bus stop. At least one parking spot per bedroom if there's no street parking or nearby bus stop.
• Houses must have a covered porch of 75 square feet or more.

• Parcels between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet.
• No floor greater than 800 square feet.
• Same parking requirements as "smaller lot" houses.
• Same front-porch requirement as "smaller lot" houses.

• Between four and eight units in a development.
• No structure larger than 1,000 square feet total.
• Private, screened open space of 100 square feet for each unit.
• Parking can't be located between units and the street, and it must be consolidated into one lot.
• Each unit must have a front porch of at least 75 square feet facing a shared public space.

• Majority of unit must be located above garage.
• One unit must be owner-occupied.
• Maximum floor space of 500 square feet.
• One parking spot per unit.

• At least one unit must be owner-occupied.
• Unit must be attached to the main house.
• Unit can't be larger than 800 square feet or 40 percent of main house, whichever is less.
• One parking spot per attached unit.

• At least one unit must be owner-occupied.
• Minimum of five-foot separation between structures.
• Size limits same as with attached ADUs.
• Parking requirement same as attached ADUs.

• 1,000 square foot maximum unit size.
• At least 75 square feet of private space for each unit.
• At least 40 percent of the site must be pervious material.
• Same parking requirements as with "smaller lot" houses.

• Between four and six units clustered around a shared court.
• No unit can be more than 2,000 square feet and no single floor more than 1,000 square feet.
• Private open space of at least 150 square feet for each unit.
• At least 40 percent of the site must be pervious material.

• Between four and eight units clustered around a shared open space.
• No units larger than 2,000 square feet.
• At least 200 square feet of shared space per unit, consolidated, and at least 100 square feet of private space.
• Same parking requirements as "smaller lot" housing.

• Up to five units attached in low-density zones. Up to eight attached units in medium-density zones.
• Minimum of one parking spot, plus equivalent of a half spot for each bedroom over one.
• There can't be more than four side-by-side parking spots without a landscaping separation with at least one tree.
• Each unit must have a front-entry porch of at least 50 square feet.

• The building can't be higher than 55 feet.
• In low-density zones, each floor is limited to 8,000 square feet. Limit is 15,000 square feet in medium-density zones.
• At least 100 square feet of private open space (may be a deck).
• Up to 1,500 square feet of retail allowed without additional parking required.
• Blank walls require vegetation, artwork, seating area or architectural details.

• A maximum of 20,000 square feet per floor.
• 75-foot height limit.
• Buildings can be much larger if the parking is put in a parking structure and public open space is provided.
• At least 80 percent of the adjacent sidewalk must be covered with a shelter between 8 feet and 12 feet above the sidewalk.

• No setbacks required, except from single-family zones.
• Decks and bay windows may extend into public right of way up to 3 feet.
• Retail ceilings must be at least 14 feet high.
• First 1,500 square feet of retail doesn't require parking, but three spots are needed for each additional 1,000 square feet.