Clyde Hill News: Muddled middle housing
Also: Emergency preparedness not “prioritized;” rat issue spreads; city plans $670K public works building
City compliance with state requirements to permit denser housing in Clyde Hill appears to be in the same place it was last year, according to an update from city staff at the January city council meeting. Also, the status of the city’s emergency preparedness and plans is not clear at this time, based on statements from the city’s administrator at January’s meeting.
Details on these topics, plans for a proposed $670K public works building, a new utility tax, recent appointments, balancing the budget, and more below. But first, an update on the rat issue that has left city officials “astounded.”
City officials granted an extension to a resident to address the trash issue that has sent rats all over a neighborhood of Clyde Hill, including a day care facility nearby.
Residents a few blocks over from the site have observed rats and expressed concern about the spread. A resident sent the city a photo of the site after the trash removal trucks left:
Four months after the sixth formal complaint in four years, the city’s Director of Public Works said “there’s still so much more to do” with respect to removing accumulated trash (link). “There’s no doubt about it.” He added: “We were a little astounded.”
Neighbor Wayne Burns offered public comment at the January council meeting, asking the city to accept no more excuses and grant no more extensions (link).
Disclaimer: while I am a council member 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.
Emergency management plan update
Briefly: Mayor Steve Friedman asked city staff to “track down” the city’s emergency management plan (link) and assess the state of preparedness at January’s council meeting.
In the context of the recent horrific fires near Los Angeles and the “bomb cyclone” that left many Clyde Hill residents without power for an extended time, the city council asked about the city’s emergency management plan.
“We had hoped to try and get it updated before the end of last year. We just haven’t had the bandwidth to do anything with it — haven’t prioritized it” (link), according to City Administrator Dean Rohla.
The most recent reference to the city’s emergency management preparations on the city’s website appears to be March 2017 (link).
The mayor noted that “There are things we need to have, to make sure that are prepared now, based on the old plan” and asked “Are those up to date?” (link) The city administrator acknowledged that those were “Fair questions — the Chief [of Police] and I’ll have to get together on that and get back to you.”
Middle housing muddle
The city’s proposed response to state requirements to permit denser housing in Clyde Hill appears to be in the same place it was at the end of last year, based on an update from city staff to council at the January council meeting.
The draft documents in the January meeting pack are the same as in the December packet, according to statements from city staff at the meeting. Staff’s recommendation was to send the legislation back to the Land Use Committee, whence the draft came to the council in November 2024.
Assistant City Administrator Maia Knox characterized the guidance from the state’s Department of Commerce “as even less clear as it was in December.” (link)
It’s also not clear from the discussion if the other Points Communities — Medina, Yarrow Point, and Hunts Point — are taking similar or different approaches to each other and Clyde Hill.
City staff and a consultant told the council that “The question we want to kind of explore is going beyond just the minimum requirements.” (link)
For example, according to the staff, the new state laws require Clyde Hill to permit only two “dwelling units” per lot. Staff asked council for feedback about encouraging denser housing types, like triplexes, because Clyde Hill does not appear required to permit them:
Condo style ownership
According to the discussion, Clyde Hill will also need to comply with a new state requirement to allow “condominium style” ownership. For example, the city needs to allow owners to sell an ADU (accessory dwelling unit, or a “mother-in-law” apartment) separately from the primary residence on a lot, much like a condominium:
$670K Public Works shop, and more
City staff expects to bring a construction contract for the public works building to the council for approval in March (link):
“The design of this project is substantially complete. We expect to advertise for bids next month. The construction cost estimate is $670,000”
according to the Public Works report in this month’s city council meeting packet (link).
Stormwater utility tax ahead
City staff published key milestones for a new stormwater drainage-related tax on Clyde Hill residents:
20 MPH school zone expanded
The 20 MPH zone around the schools in Clyde Hill will expand by several blocks in response to requests from parents, according to city officials (link).
Balancing the budget
The city’s Financial Sustainability Task Force will hold a public meeting on January 30 from 2-4pm at City Hall.
“The first step is really to identify what does Clyde Hill do, how do we do it, who does it,” according to Mayor Steve Friedman (link). An agenda will be published prior to the public meeting.
Appointments
The city council selected Brad Andonian to serve on the council and fill the seat vacated by Kim Muromoto. The council also confirmed all four appointments to the Planning Commission by a 3-0 vote with two abstentions.
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Dean Hachamovitch