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Land use committee forwards ADU code amendment to council for first reading
Summary
The committee forwarded proposed amendments to Federal Way’s accessory dwelling unit rules — implementing state requirements to allow up to two ADUs per lot, cap ADU impact fees and reduce parking requirements near major transit — to the full City Council for first reading on April 15.
The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Tuesday forwarded proposed amendments to Title 19 of the Federal Way Revised Code on accessory dwelling units to the City Council for a first reading scheduled April 15.
Andrew Leon, a Development Services staff presenter, told the committee the package is intended to implement requirements from state law he referenced as “House Bill 13 37,” passed in 2023, and to remove remaining local barriers to ADU construction. Leon said the amendments would require the city to allow at least two ADUs on lots where single-family housing is permitted, allow ADUs in existing structures including some nonconforming buildings, remove certain entrance and aesthetic requirements and limit impact fees for ADUs to no more than 50% of single-family fees.
The changes also alter parking rules for ADUs near transit. Under the proposal, the city would not require parking for ADUs located within a half mile of a “major transit stop” as defined under the state bill; Leon said that designation in Federal Way will include the city’s light-rail station(s) and certain high-frequency bus stops. Council President Kochbaar suggested clearer wording in the staff memo on parking, saying, “I think you need to rewrite that because that’s not right,” after Leon’s verbal explanation.
Leon said the amendment went through a Planning Commission public hearing on Feb. 19 and that the mayor has recommended adoption. Staff told the committee the ordinance is scheduled for first reading at the April 15 City Council meeting with a second reading planned for May 6.
Committee members asked practical questions about ADU size limits, ownership and sewer/septic constraints. Staff said the code would cap ADU size at 1,000 square feet and that the code does not impose a minimum unit size; ADUs may be studios if they contain cooking facilities and a bathroom. Staff also said property owners could pursue unit-lot subdivision under a separate, forthcoming ordinance to allow ADU ownership separate from the primary parcel. On sewer and septic, staff explained local sewer-district rules and county septic permitting remain controlling factors for whether multiple units are feasible on a particular lot.
The committee voted to forward the proposed ordinance to a first reading on April 15.
The amendment package is meant to implement state law; it does not override private covenants or homeowners association restrictions, staff emphasized, and planning staff said title or covenant questions generally fall outside the city’s review role.
