A recent ruling by the City Hearing Examiner is a setback—but not necessarily a permanent one—for the city's efforts to loosen regulations on accessory dwelling units.
"City Hearing examiner Sue Tanner sided with the Queen Anne Community Council in a seemingly obscure, but potentially epic ruling issued Tuesday [pdf]," reports Josh Feit.
The ruling requires the city to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) on proposed legislation that would "loosen requirements that are currently limiting the production of mother-in-law apartments and backyard cottages, known as ADUs (accessory dwelling units) and DADUS (detached accessory dwelling units), respectively," explains Feit.
According to Feit, the ruling should come as a wakeup call for politicians, developers, and advocates who support new land use regulations that would enable additional density in parts of the city. In the Queen Anne neighborhood, the sense is that the city is being "too cavalier" with the push to add density, but advocates should expect that "[s]ingle-family neighborhoods are going to fight change every step of the way."
The article includes a lot more detail on the specifics of the Seattle and Queen Anne case study, as well as the role of accessory dwelling units in the agenda of many pro-development and affordable housing advocates.
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