City Council unanimously passes 2 bills affecting development

| Development | West Seattle news

Following up on two items noted in this morning’s daily preview: Seattle City Councilmembers have just voted to approve two bills related to development: A six-month extension of restrictions on small-lot development, and an “emergency” bill setting minimum density requirements for neighborhood-commercial-zoned lots in pedestrian-oriented areas. Councilmember Richard Conlin, the sponsor for both, said it was a coincidence they turned up on the same council agenda, and also noted that the minimum-density rules were not likely to affect the three projects that inspired them, including the 4722 Fauntleroy Way one-story drugstore proposal (first reported here in July), because they were “vested” when they first started the official application/review process. In addition, he said he’s expecting proposed permanent rules for small-lot development to come to the council for review in November.

wetone September 9, 2013 (4:43 pm)

It will be interesting to see if the emergency bill will change things, as the restrictions on small lot development bill had little or no impact. Builders in this city seem to get what they want pretty easily no matter what the impact is on the surrounding neighbors and community’s. Seems to be a lot of funny stuff going on with our city government people and agency’s involved. From what I have seen I doubt we will see any impact in future building practices except for more fees and fines for builders to build how and what they want. The city needs the money coming in to help them pay all their bad decision making and costly overruns on just about everything they have done lately. Just another temporary band aid.

A September 9, 2013 (9:53 pm)

Stop this microhousing/boarding house BS too!!!

Brian September 10, 2013 (3:47 pm)

@A: Why is affordable housing suddenly “BS”?

WSRedux September 10, 2013 (6:02 pm)

Affordable housing need not be poorly planned, inappropriately scaled & stuffed onto on a lot whose redrawn boundary lines would make a gerrymandering political boss proud. Most of the homes squeezed onto those small lots aren’t in the “affordable” category anyway. Architects & builders who build those things generally do not have a sense of design and are terrible space planners. In many cases, with a little thoughtful planning, they “could have had a V-8”. Unfortunately, what they build they aren’t required to pick up in a plastic bag & deposit in the trash when they leave. I think it would be beneficial to have a yearly rogues photo gallery of bad homes & projects listed with developers/builders names, as well as a gallery of those whose projects deserve a thumbs up. A Street of Screams as well as a Street of Dreams.