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Council committee advances middle-housing package — code changes, unit-lot subdivisions and RM rezone — to first reading
Summary
The committee forwarded combined amendments to Federal Way Revised Code Title 18 (subdivisions) and Title 19 (zoning), unit-lot subdivision rules and a legislative rezone that consolidates three multifamily zones into one RM zone. Staff cited House Bill 1110 and Senate Bill 5258; the council moved the package to first reading on May 20.
City planners presented a package of code and map changes to implement the state's middle-housing directives and to add unit-lot subdivision procedures. Holly Bosack and Stacy Welsh said the amendments respond to state legislation and local policy choices to allow a range of middle-housing types — duplex, triplex, fourplex, townhouses, courtyard apartments and cottage housing — on lots in single-family and suburban estate zones.
Why it matters: House Bill 1110 requires jurisdictions to allow 4–6 unit middle-housing types in qualifying areas; staff said the amendments align local regulations with the statute's requirements. The city also proposed unit-lot subdivisions (required by 2023's Senate Bill 5258) so that individual housing units can be sold as separate lots while a parent lot remains in common ownership for access and common tracts.
Key points from the presentation: - Maximum units per lot: staff recommended a uniform maximum of six units on a lot in the designated residential zones. That can include combinations of a single-family home plus up to five middle-housing units, or six middle-housing units, and may include up to two attached ADUs per lot in some combinations. "It is a total of 6," council staff said when clarifying unit counts for the subdivision process. - Parking: required off-street parking would range from 0 to 2 spaces per unit, with the zero-parking option tied to proximity to rapid transit (staff noted a half-mile walking shed standard). - Setbacks and standards: middle-housing typologies will generally have a five-foot setback from property lines; middle housing will be exempt from existing design guidelines per the proposed code text. - Unit-lot subdivisions: planners said a parent lot must meet zone dimensional standards while individual unit lots may not; the unit-lot tool is an alternative to condominiums and is intended to simplify ownership for certain middle-housing projects.
Timeline and procedure: staff noted the state set deadlines for local adoption: jurisdictions must adopt local rules before a state model code applies on July 1 (staff said the city has until June to adopt its own amendments). The committee voted to forward the Title 18, Title 19, unit-lot subdivision and comprehensive-plan/rezone items to first reading on the May 20, 2025 council agenda.
Council discussion touched on practical limits: council members asked what portion of the city could practically take advantage of the new allowances (sewer availability, septic and well constraints), and staff estimated a rough applicability of 20–30 percent of parcels given septic, sewer access and covenants. Staff recommended outreach with builders and noted that petitioner fees and staff capacity drive permitting timelines.
Actions: Committee motions forwarded each ordinance to first reading on May 20, 2025. The planning commission had recommended approval; the mayor recommended adoption as drafted.
Ending: The committee advanced the package to the full council; staff said they will continue technical refinements and prepare for the May 20 first readings and additional public hearing steps as required.
