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Burien planning staff outline middle‑housing zoning, design standards and small neighborhood commercial in draft code
Summary
City planners presented proposed R1–R3 residential zones to implement the comprehensive plan’s middle‑housing direction, including duplexes through fiveplexes, courtyard housing and limited neighborhood commercial, plus design standards intended to preserve tree canopy and neighborhood scale.
Lede: Burien planning staff briefed the City Council on April 21 on proposed zoning map and code amendments to implement the comprehensive plan’s middle‑housing policies, including three new residential zones (R1, R2, R3), development limits, bonus units for transit proximity or housing preservation, and limited customer‑serving neighborhood commercial uses.
Nut graf: The amendments are intended to increase housing choices within existing neighborhoods while capping building height and preserving neighborhood character; staff said the code includes incentives and affordability/preservation options and proposes design standards and tree retention requirements that would apply citywide.
Body: Planning staff told the council the middle‑housing package would allow housing types that “fit between single detached dwellings and moderate‑density multifamily,” listing duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, cottage housing, courtyard apartments and stacked flats as examples. Staff described three proposed residential zones: R1 (least intensive; larger minimum lot sizes; intended for environmentally constrained areas), R2 (intermediate) and R3 (highest intensity; aligns with future tier‑1 requirements for larger cities).
Staff said development would be height‑limited to match neighborhood scale (current maximum cited was 35 feet), and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would count toward new unit maximums. Incentives include bonus units for parcels within a half‑mile of a qualifying transit stop (one bonus in R2, two in R3) and a preservation bonus to encourage retaining existing housing stock. An income‑restricted covenant option was described as an alternative way to earn bonus units when sites are not close to transit.
The package would also allow limited small‑scale, customer‑serving commercial uses in residential zones (corner lot restrictions in R1), with internal size caps (staff cited a 1,500‑square‑foot ceiling for neighborhood commercial), constrained hours (roughly 8 a.m.–8 p.m. consistent with home occupations), limits on outdoor seating and prohibitions on drive‑thrus and heavy deliveries. Staff noted parking exemptions for small neighborhood commercial consistent with existing thresholds (commercial uses under 3,000 sq ft generally exempt).
Design goals emphasized pedestrian access, safe deliveries and retention of on‑site trees; staff said the code will prioritize tree retention and allow adjustments to parking and other standards to avoid unnecessary tree removal. Council members praised the presentation as an implementation step of the adopted comprehensive plan and asked staff to ensure clear administrative processes and enforcement capacity as new forms of housing are developed.
Ending: Staff framed the amendments as implementation of the comprehensive plan vision that “all types of homes are affordable, abundant, safe, and accessible,” and said additional outreach and public hearings will follow before any adoption ordinance is brought to council. The briefing did not include a formal council vote.
