Fife staff outline middle-housing code changes required by state law; commission reviews administrative design standards

FIFE, Wash. — The Fife Planning Commission on Feb. 3 reviewed draft code amendments to implement the state’s middle-housing law and related changes to the city zoning code.

Senior planner Taylor Jones presented the draft amendments that implement House Bill 1110 (as cited in the staff presentation) and explained how Fife, a tier-3 city, must allow two-unit middle-housing configurations in predominantly low-density residential zones. Jones said the draft adopts Commerce’s model middle-housing ordinance as the basis for administrative, objective design standards and places the new regulations in a single code chapter (19.68) to improve usability.

Key provisions presented

- Applicability: The state mandate requires tier-3 cities (population under 25,000) to allow two-unit middle-housing in predominantly single-family zones. Jones said Fife’s low-density residential zone is the primary zone affected; medium- and high-density zones already allow higher densities. - Administrative design review: The draft uses an objective, administratively implemented design-review process tied to building permits to meet the state requirement that design review be non-discretionary. - Cottage housing and courtyard apartments: The city will retain its existing cottage-housing regulations for areas where a more detailed code already exists, and apply a streamlined cottage-housing approach in low-density residential locations. Courtyard apartments and ground-floor units must meet pedestrian-oriented access and façade/window standards in the draft language. - Landscaping and flexibility: Staff proposed limited administrative authority to relax certain commercial landscaping requirements when they would prevent achieving an additional middle-housing unit, with the caveat that landscaping cannot be less strict than single-family standards. - Subdivision and units-per-structure clarifications: Staff confirmed current subdivision code already allows zero-lot-line short subdivisions if unit counts meet density requirements. The draft clarifies how units-per-structure are regulated in medium- and high-density zones.

Commission feedback and clarification

Commissioners asked how the code treats “structure” versus “unit” counts and whether the city would limit units per structure in medium-density areas. Staff clarified that medium-density zones typically limit units per structure to six, while high-density zones do not impose the same structure-size limits.

Jones said the draft leans on Commerce’s model ordinance because the state consulted experts and jurisdictions during its development. He said specific program parameters — for example, exact inclusionary percentages or incentives referenced elsewhere in the meeting — will be set later in code-drafting steps or policy decisions.

Ending

The commission provided questions and suggestions; staff said the draft code will be refined and returned for further review and public hearing as part of the comprehensive-plan and code update schedule. The commission did not vote on the middle-housing amendments at the Feb. 3 meeting.