Coupeville planner outlines middle-housing code changes; council raises parking, utilities and historic preservation concerns

Joshua, Coupeville’s planner and project lead, presented a draft “middle housing” code update on Jan. 14 designed to implement state laws including House Bill 1337 and HB 1110 and to expand local options for duplexes, cottages, cottage courts, townhomes and multiple accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Why it matters: The state laws require cities to allow more housing types and the draft would alter development rules across residential and some commercial zones. Changes affect parking, utilities and historic-design protections in the downtown and older neighborhoods.

Joshuadescribed two main pieces: a new chapter to allow “unit-lot subdivision” (a mechanism similar to condominium ownership that divides a parent parcel into separately owned unit lots) and amendments that would permit middle-housing forms across residential zones and allow up to two ADUs per single-family lot with a minimum allowable ADU size of 1,000 square feet where state law requires it.

The draft keeps many current dimensional standards (setbacks and lot coverage) but adds supplemental standards for new housing types and incentives intended to encourage permanently affordable units. Proposed incentives include waivers of certain off-street parking or utility hookup fees in exchange for deed-restricted affordability; the presentation noted a potential Department of Commerce reimbursement program for waived fees.

Council members and staff pressed operational and policy questions: - Council member Rick said off-street parking and narrow historic streets made parking waivers problematic. He warned that new units would increase car ownership and lead to on-street parking pressure in places with ditches or no curb. “If we make some of these changes, it’s only gonna get worse,” he said. - Public Works staff (Joe) and other council members said turning narrow historic streets into paved, striped roadways to enable reliable on-street parking would be an expensive, multi-year infrastructure project and would alter the historic character of some blocks; the council noted some streets are treated as historically significant under state review. - Several council members asked about utility hookups and bond constraints. One council member said the town should confirm whether hookup-waiver incentives would violate current utility bond covenants; staff said they would investigate reimbursement options through state programs.

Joshua said the planning commission is expected to start public hearings on Feb. 4 and the town hopes to complete its internal review and move the ordinance to council by mid-March; he asked council members to submit specific comments quickly so they could be incorporated before the planning commission’s hearings.

Clarifying details in the draft include maintaining a 35% lot coverage limit for residential zones, allowing unit-lot subdivision ownership while applying development standards at the parent-parcel level, and authorizing targeted parking or hookup-fee incentives that would require administrative rules and possible intergovernmental reimbursements.

Ending: Council members said they will review the full draft and return questions to planning staff; several asked staff to research legal constraints on utility-fee waivers, the need for additional on-street parking or street reconfiguration, and how historic-preservation review would interact with new housing types.