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A slide with the title Zoning for Trees, Community, and Climate Adaptation by Mike Eliason
Zoning for Trees, Community, and Climate Adaptation by Mike Eliason

Main takeaways from the presentation

In order to build new missing middle housing while maximizing tree cover, accessibility, and livability in Seattle, we must enact these four key policies:

  • Allow, encourage, and incentivize stacked flats with single stairs and more shared walls
  • Remove minimum parking requirements
  • Reduce front yard setbacks and eliminate side yard setbacks altogether
  • Allow for more flexibility and architectural innovation (e.g., allow stacked flats that span multiple lots, encourage intensified corner lot development, etc.)

By comparing existing middle housing in Seattle and German cities, we find that:

  • Lack of shared walls, onerous setback requirements, and extraneous parking requirements prevent contiguous open space between buildings, reducing tree canopy and communal gathering areas.
  • When buildings share more walls, are not positioned in the middle of a lot, and do not require parking, contiguous open space, tree canopy, and the size of communal gathering areas are all greatly enhanced.
  • Reducing setbacks and sharing more walls reduces the carbon required for construction, and energy needed for heating/cooling. It also improves privacy as neighboring windows no longer face each other across narrow, dark walkways or side yards.

By following the four key principles for green missing middle housing outlined above, we can create middle housing that maximizes tree canopy, open space, accessibility, privacy, and livability.

Use the key points below to talk to City Council members and advocate for a green and inclusive Seattle Comprehensive Plan that works for everyone!

Refer to the Green Missing Middle Housing tab for more background info on the below talking points.

  1. The Mayor’s Preferred Alternative for the Comprehensive Plan update eliminates nearly 20,000 apartments – including 3,500 affordable homes (MFTE + MHA) that would be produced with Alternative 5: Combined (Exhibit 1.6-15). The Mayor’s Preferred Alternative also results in the most demolitions of existing multifamily housing, which will drive up displacement and housing costs. Tell Council that Alternative 5: Combined is the only alternative that maximizes affordable housing and space for trees, in more of the city.

  2. The 20,000 apartments eliminated in the Mayor’s Preferred Alternative are switched for ‘non-stacked flat’ housing including “tombstone” houses and townhomes. These housing types consume most of the lot with driveways and low-density, unaffordable, and inaccessible homes. If you would like to see more space for trees, and more small apartments and stacked flats produced under HB1110 please ask Council to adopt Alternative 5: Combined. (Exhibit 1.6-14).

  3. The Mayor’s Neighborhood Residential update is a good start in trying to induce more housing to comply with HB 1110. Intelligently, the Neighborhood Residential Update does include a Floor Area Ratio bonus for stacked flats, however the stacked flats bonus is only FAR 0.2. Due to the economics of development in the region – including high finance costs, higher building requirements for multifamily housing, and higher builder’s insurance – this FAR bonus is insufficient for feasibility, and the NR update will result in many more townhomes over stacked flats. Furthermore, the minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet eliminates most potential lots in walkable areas. Tell Council to increase the FAR bonus for stacked flats to at least 1.6, to increase the lot coverage to at least 55 percent, and to reduce the minimum lot size to at least 5,000 square feet so that stacked flats will be feasible over townhomes and actually prioritized.

  4. Parking requirements in low-rise zones like the Neighborhood Residential update reduce the amount of space for trees, nature, community, and kids. The city eliminated parking requirements in neighborhoods like Downtown and South Lake Union in 2012 – and tens of thousands of parking spaces were still added. Eliminating parking requirements will not stop parking from being added – but it will provide both non-profit and market-rate developers flexibility that is needed to ensure feasibility. Tell Council to eliminate parking requirements in all multifamily zones.

  5. Lastly, large setback requirements position housing in the middle of the lot, leaving little contiguous open space for trees or nature. Eliminating side yard setbacks so that buildings touch, and eliminating front yard setbacks so buildings are set closer to the street and sidewalk will allow substantially more green space and space for trees. Tell Council to eliminate front and sideyard setbacks for stacked flats so that space for trees, community, and nature can be maximized.

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