Kenmore planning commission backs inclusionary housing code language, asks staff to return with Option 1 plus exemptions and delayed start

The Kenmore Planning Commission voted March 18 to ask staff to return with draft code implementing ARCH (the Regional Coalition for Housing) Option 1 that would apply an inclusionary requirement to new middle-housing projects in R-4 and R-6 zones, with an amendment directing staff to include exemptions for very small units and a delayed effective date.

The commission's motion directs staff to prepare zoning text that would require a 10% affordable unit set-aside for qualifying projects (with affordability levels proposed in ARCH's memo: about 80% of median income for owner-occupied units and 60% for renter-occupied), and to retain a fee-in-lieu for projects that generate fractional unit obligations. The commission asked staff and ARCH to provide clearer code language, rounding rules and implementation details at the April 1 meeting so the commission can forward the code to a public hearing.

Why it matters: The change would pair the city's planned increase in residential capacity (the "middle housing" upzone) with an attempt to capture some portion of the land-value gain for affordable housing. ARCH modeling presented at the meeting showed small prototypes (for example, a four-cottage project on a 10,000-square-foot lot) could absorb a 10% requirement and still be feasible; the firm estimated a sample…