Kenmore planning commission splits over height vs. impervious‑surface tradeoffs in “missing middle” code update

KENMORE, Wash. — On March 4 the Kenmore Planning Commission held a detailed review of draft "missing middle" and accessory‑dwelling‑unit (ADU) code changes, debating incentives tied to density, parking and site design and asking the city consultant to return with clearer code language and illustrative examples.

The discussion followed two in‑person public comments and a presentation by city planning staff and consultant materials from Kimley Horn. Commissioners split evenly on a central question: whether the city should allow greater building height in single‑family neighborhoods in exchange for a reduction in lot impervious surface. With no final vote on the code itself, the commission asked staff and Kimley Horn to prepare revised code language and examples for the next meeting and to consider whether a public hearing in April is appropriate.

The commission heard first from two residents. Caitlin Sullivan, a Kenmore resident, described building a basement and detached ADU in Seattle and urged the commission to treat ADUs separately from middle‑housing rules. She said the city’s current DADU (detached ADU) connection costs are a barrier: "To build a new DADU, I will need to connect new water and sewer lines to the street with NUD at a cost of nearly $25,000 in connection fees per unit... For my lot, I need 235 feet of new sewer line... before I put a…