Edmonds Planning Board narrows middle-housing approach, drops LDR walkable overlay and removes townhouses from required types

The Edmonds Planning Board advanced a set of policy choices on the city’s middle-housing code update, directing staff to proceed with a trio of low-density residential overlays (small, medium and large), removing a proposed “LDR walkable” overlay for further study and dropping townhouses from the list of middle-housing types the city will offer now.

The board also voted to change maximum building coverage in the draft site-development standards: the board adopted a recommendation to cap lot coverage at 35% for one- and two-unit developments and to allow 45% lot coverage for three- and four-unit developments. The board recorded that the higher coverage figure is intended to make three- and four-unit building types more feasible on existing lot footprints; members emphasized that additional design controls and tree-retention rules still apply.

The board discussed which…