Clyde Hill News: Multi-family housing comes to Clyde Hill
State law poised to end exclusive single-family zoning
A new state law requiring cities to permit development of four-unit residential housing on each lot is actively making progress through the legislature in Olympia.
House Bill 1110, if approved, would also require permitting of six-unit residences if two of them are affordable or the lot is within a half mile of a school, public park, or major transit stop. It would also overrule local minimum lot size requirements — requiring cities to permit subdividing lots to sizes as small as 1500 sq ft for multi-family units.
The new permitting requirements of HB 1110 would apply to the Points Communities (Clyde Hill, Yarrow Point, Hunts Point, and Medina) as well as Mercer Island and Beaux Arts. A full map of impacted communities is below.
Below, more details on the bill, its problems, what actions local governments have taken, and what residents can do.
One request ahead of our disclaimer and details on these news items: if you find this newsletter useful or interesting, please forward it to your Clyde Hill neighbors and friends. Thank you!
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. The 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.
House Bill 1110
The problem that elected officials in Olympia are trying to address with HB 1110 is affordable housing. The bill begins with this description:
“AN ACT Relating to creating more homes for Washington by increasing middle housing in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing” (link)
The goal of the bill, from its text, is “increasing housing options that are more affordable to various income levels.”
The bill applies to Clyde Hill and neighboring communities by including “any city that is within a contiguous urban growth area,” or UGA:
It’s easy to think that the bill excludes Clyde Hill and neighbors because of text in the bill about cities “with a population of 6,000 or more.” The very next words — “or any city that is within a contiguous urban growth area” — bring Clyde Hill and neighbors into the bill’s scope.
Problems with HB 1110
Mercer Island’s letters to its community and state representatives about the problems with this bill are worth reading (link).
According to Mercer Island’s letter, the bill will not solve the problem it sets out to solve: “While the bill is being positioned as an effort to increase affordable housing, HB 1110 will almost exclusively result in market-rate housing.”
Mercer Island’s letter goes on to describe the complexities of updating city infrastructure such as sewer, water, and stormwater drainage. With no additional parking requirements, parking is another problem to expect, along with increased demands on transit.
The bill creates “yet another unexpected multi-year planning exercise for Washington cities,” which is both expensive and unfunded.
The bill, concludes Mercer Island’s letter, is a “one size fits all mandate [that] is simply unlikely to yield positive results for Washingtonians.”
Beaux Arts’ letter also points out that “HB1110 has been largely shaped without consultation or input from the cities they directly impact and with no exceptions for small towns” like Beaux Arts or the Points Communities.
Local Government Action
Mercer Island’s mayor sought and received approval from the city council for the letter to state representatives at their February 7 council meeting.
Mercer Island’s work has provided a template for other communities. Beaux Arts and Hunts Points were fast followers, communicating to their residents and elected state officials back in February. Yarrow Point’s mayor sent mail to elected state officials as well as residents this week, making it easy for Yarrow Point residents to provide further feedback to their state representatives.
Clyde Hill posted information on its website Friday night (link).
What you can do
Please: communicate with our representatives. Yarrow Point’s mayor makes it clear and easy with these links:
We urge all residents to review these bills using these links: HB 1110.pdf (wa.gov) and SB 5190.pdf (wa.gov) and then offer feedback to all three legislators (Kuderer, Slatter, Walen) using these links:
For anyone wanting to write a letter to representatives, here are links to letters from local mayors that you can use as a reference:
Yarrow Point Letter from Mayor
Beaux Arts Letter from Mayor Howes to our State Representatives
Exact timing for a vote is not clear. As Beaux Arts’ mayor wrote to residents:
“Time is of the essence as there are coalitions forming to push this proposed legislation as a path to more affordable housing without considering the concerns of local residents.”
Thanks 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