Clyde Hill News: How much housing density do residents want?
Also: Clyde Hill PD asks residents to report crimes; update on city meetings
The City of Clyde Hill will permit more than just single family homes in residential zones no later than June 2025 in order to comply with new state housing laws. This week’s newsletter offers residents a preview of what to expect and what feedback to the city might make a difference.
More details on this topic, as well as an update about upcoming city meetings and a request from Clyde Hill’s police department, below. — but first: an update about the city’s progress on its Comprehensive Plan.
City staff disclosed on Thursday that they have found more required work related to the Comprehensive Plan, and have asked their contractor
to develop a proposal to complete a few remaining Comprehensive Plan tasks. (link)
Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the city. City information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about city business I will respond from my city email account.
Housing density: more “dwelling units” per lot
The short version:
Clyde Hill must permit more “dwellings” per lot in order to comply with state law.
The city has some say in how many more dwellings per lot it will permit.
The administration has not yet asked residents about how much more density they want permitted in their city.
Most Clyde Hill residents I’ve heard from on this topic have expressed a preference that the city stick to the minimum required by the new state laws. The city’s plans for engaging residents ahead of drafting changes to the city’s land use and zoning code are not clear at this time.
Below, more details on what to expect along with how to contact your elected officials if you have questions or an opinion about this topic.
Big picture: Condos, Middle Housing, and ADUs
There are three new state laws driving Clyde Hill and other cities to permit more housing density:
Condos (SB 5258)
Clyde Hill must allow the “division of a parent lot into separately owned unit lots” per RCW 58.17.060(3) (link).
Most of the new law involves the “Condos & Townhomes” referred to in its title. The law also requires that
All cities, towns, and counties shall include in their short plat regulations procedures for unit lot subdivisions (link)
Or, basically, ownership “in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual owners” (link), like a condominium. Here is a diagram from a guide that Washington State’s Department of Commerce provided to cities to illustrate some options:
Middle Housing (HB 1110)
Clyde Hill must permit “the development of at least two units per lot” (emphasis added; link).
The City of Clyde Hill has the authority to permit more than two units per lot.
Accessory Dwelling Units (HB 1337)
“An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a small, self-contained residential unit located on the same lot as an existing single-family home” (link).
Currently, Clyde Hill limits residents to a single, attached ADU, and requires the owner to occupy either the primary residence or the ADU (link).
According to this Department of Commerce deck (link), Clyde Hill
Must permit at least two ADUs per lot
“May not require the owner to reside at the property” (and must permit both attached and detached ADUs)
Must “allow the sale of ADUs as independent units”
“May not require design review standards that are more restrictive than those for the principal unit,”
among other requirements.
Complexity, and communication, ahead
The gist of Washington State’s guidance to cities about how these laws interact is “consult with your attorney.”
A guide for cities from Washington’s Department of Commerce explains that “ADUs do not count as a middle housing type.” After walking through a scenario involving a combination of ADUs and Middle Housing, the guide noted:
As this represents a conflict between the requirements of the accessory dwelling unit legislation passed in 2023 (HB 1337) with HB 1110’s unit density provisions, it is recommended that cities consult with their city attorney on this issue when drafting middle housing development regulations. (link, p 77)
Clyde Hill does have some choices. The first is whether to do the minimum for density or more. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, you can reach your elected officials via email at mayor@clydehill.org and council@clydehill.org.
March meetings
Clyde Hill’s administration announced a “special council meeting” on Thursday March 7:
The only item on the agenda is an Executive Session to discuss the performance of a public employee. No action is anticipated. (link)
The council meeting scheduled on Tuesday March 12 will start an hour earlier, at 6p.
Reporting mailbox (and other) crime
Clyde Hill PD asks residents to report crimes rather than just post them on social media.
Please call 911 or the non emergency # at 425-577-5656 (not the PD office #) and report the incident and advise that you have video or pictures.
“We have also been seeing a lot of posts on social media from incidents that may not have been reported to us,” wrote CHPD. “While apps like NextDoor and FB are great places to let your friends and neighbors know about recent events, they are not the place to report crimes and they are not monitored by us.” (link)
You can sign up for Clyde Hill PD updates at the city’s website (link) or find them on Facebook (link) or Instagram (link).
Thank you for reading! Please forward and share with your friends and neighbors, and if you are not already getting this newsletter, subscribing is both easy and free.
Dean Hachamovitch