Sammamish staff: applications up, small builders driving middle‑housing interest; city to study code fixes

The City of Sammamish’s Department of Community Development reported on Sept. 9 that development activity and permit revenue have risen in 2025 and that small builders, not large production firms, are most actively pursuing middle‑housing projects.

During a study session, David Pyle, director of Community Development, said the city currently has 16 short plats under review, one long plat and 81 lots in various stages of subdivision review; 36 new single‑family homes were under review in 2025 and staff had issued 22 permits so far this year. Pyle told the council that 21 homes have reached final inspection and been completed in 2025 to date, compared with 40 new homes completed citywide in 2024.

The uptick in inquiries about middle housing came through staff presentations from Avril Beatty, current planning and permit center manager, and senior planners. Beatty and senior planners said most applicants seeking middle housing are pursuing duplexes and cottage housing; staff have seen fewer inquiries for triplexes, fourplexes or stacked flats. A single larger pre‑application from Tri Point Homes — roughly 50 duplexes on the displayed map — is the largest proposal identified in the presentation.

Why smaller builders? Pyle and planners said smaller builders are now probing the new local rules and land economics to see whether small‑scale middle‑housing projects can be financially feasible; larger production builders have not…