Politics & Government
City Council Looking to Diversify Housing Options In Sammamish
New zoning under consideration would allow for detached housing or accessory dwellings on lots of any size.
Interested in diversifying housing options in Sammamish, the has asked the Planning Commission to study the possibility of allowing for the construction of detached housing or accessory dwelling units on property of any size in designated areas of the city.
“They’re trying to get more diverse housing in the city of Sammamish,” Senior Planner Rob Garwood said.
According to Councilman Mark Cross, the council is looking at ways to create housing for younger families, seniors, or couples who no longer need a three-bedroom house and a big yard because their kids have grown up and moved out. Housing for any stage of life, said Cross.
According to Cross, allowing for the creation of duplexes, above garage apartments, and cottage houses would give Sammamish a wider variety of housing, and attract a more diverse group of residents and families.
“This is something that has caught on in other places,” Cross said.
Cross gave an example of a Sammamish family who was looking to downsize because they no longer needed their big house and ended up finding the perfect size home in Redmond.
“They just couldn’t find it here on the plateau,” Cross said.
Cross said that a lack of diverse housing has forced people away from Sammamish, or kept others out altogether. He said that there are many people who work in Sammamish and contribute to its overall well-being who can’t live in Sammamish because the right housing option isn’t there for them.
"That’s not how you build community,” Cross said.
Cross, who has a degree in urban planning and works for the City of Bellevue, says that diversifying housing can lead to a better sense of community and more neighborhood interaction. He also says that it will help the city meet long-term regional mandated housing targets.
The proposed detached housing and accessory dwellings would be limited to 1,000 square feet, and the lot owner would still have to live on the property.
The Planning Commission is currently considering a pilot program that would allow for approximately 50 units, most as part of the proposed Town Center. The Commission expects to take its recommendation to the City Council in the fall.