Edgewood planners launch middle‑housing survey and public process toward ordinance

City planning staff outlined a public engagement schedule and survey questions for a middle‑housing ordinance the city must adopt under recent state law (House Bill 1110). The planned outreach will include an online survey, a public open house and follow‑up meetings with the Planning Commission.

Planner Josh (staff) told commissioners the survey will run from Jan. 17 to Feb. 16; the public open house is scheduled for Feb. 20 and staff expects to present survey results and a public‑engagement summary to the Washington State Department of Commerce in March. The goal is to hold a public hearing on a draft ordinance in April and send the ordinance to City Council for action by June 10, in line with statutory timing tied to the comprehensive plan.

Commissioners gave feedback on survey wording and distribution. Several commissioners asked that staff clarify the survey’s purpose in the introduction (why the city is asking for input and how it relates to the state requirement), define terms such as “adequately met” and “universal design principles,” and include images or examples of housing types. Commissioners discussed distribution methods beyond social media and the city website — including printed flyers, the city reader board and targeted outreach to apartment owners — but staff noted mailers are costly (citywide mailings estimated near $7,000) and the city no longer publishes a mailed magazine.

Staff said the survey platform (SurveyMonkey) can capture optional contact information and that the website’s “notify me” module can be used for targeted email subscriptions for longer projects. Staff will return a finalized survey and communications plan to the commission before the launch and will seek any additional edits to questions and distribution approaches.