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Backyard cottages for all

During these tough economic times, Mayor Greg Nickels says more Seattle homeowners should have the option to build cottages in their backyards to supplement incomes or provide a loved one with housing.

Welcome to the dollhouse
Backyard cottages, smaller dwelling units unattached to single family houses but sharing their lots, are now allowed in southeast Seattle only. Seattle allows smaller attached units citywide.

Nickels said in a release Thursday he would soon be sending legislation to council to allow up to 50 more backyard cottages to be built per year across Seattle neighborhoods. The homeowner would have to live on site, lots would have to be at least 4,000-square-feet and the cottages could not exceed 800 square feet. Height and lot coverage limits would also apply.

“In these difficult times, now more than ever, people are asking for a range of good housing choices,” said Nickels in the release.

“Whether it’s for a family member, an option to downsize, or simply a financial decision that allows you to stay in your home, the backyard cottage can be a real-life solution.”

So far, 14 backyard cottages have been built in southeast Seattle. The cottages are also allowed in Portland,  Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Shoreline, Newcastle, Redmond, Woodinville and Vancouver, B.C.

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This entry was posted by Shawna Gamache on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Government, Planning, Politics, Seattle lifestyle, Zoning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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  • Matt Hays

    Of COURSE we should allow these. Lots of them, with less restriction than discussed above.

    Cottages, mother-in-laws, garage homes, and other “little” measures should be a big part of how we address affordability. Each cottage helps the cottage resident, the property owner, and every other local resident (by keeping supply up with demand).

    Meanwhile they’ll provide a little extra support for neighborhood business districts, which benefit every time additional residents move in, particularly when the new residents aren’t in a new building with unneeded retail space on a non-retail street.

    Some neighborhood residents will howl at the idea, and they’ll cause the City to do something wimpy. Basically we’ll be held hostage by people who think they’re classier than others, or who care more about their parking than affordability, in both scenarios based in signifcant part on misconceptions.

  • Shawna Gamache

    You can read what Southeast neighbors had to say about cottages in their backyards here.

  • Matt the Engineer

    This is great news. 50 isn’t enough, but it’s a good start. This is one of the few ways Seattle can increase its density without demolishing our beautiful old single family homes.

  • http://www.microhousenw.com samiam

    The new expanded ordinance took affect on friday. The limit of 50 was been removed prior to approval. For more information on the expanded ordinance plus the complete text see my blog http://seattlebackyardcottage.blogspot.com. For a free analysis of your lot visit Microhouse at http://microhousenw.com we offer standard plans for compliant 800 sq. ft. cottages. and complete design services.