Burien planners outline Title 19 housing-code and zoning-map update to allow "middle housing"

The City of Burien Planning Commission on Jan. 22 heard a staff presentation on proposed Title 19 amendments and a zoning-map reclassification intended to implement state housing laws and to increase allowable housing types in single‑family areas.

Planning staff said the code update would replace the city’s existing single‑family zones with three new zones—R‑1, R‑2 and R‑3—and must allow at least six of nine state‑defined “middle housing” types to comply with House Bill 1110 and related rules. Staff also said the city will count accessory dwelling units toward maximum unit counts on a lot and that the Office of Financial Management’s population thresholds affect which requirements apply.

The proposal matters because it responds to state legislation and the city’s housing targets while attempting to limit displacement in neighborhoods identified as at higher risk. "All types of homes are affordable, abundant, safe, accessible, and accessible to all Burien residents now and in the future," staff read from the housing element vision during the presentation.

Staff outlined the nine middle‑housing types referenced in state guidance—duplex, triplex, fourplex, fiveplex, sixplex, stacked flats, courtyard/garden apartments, cottage housing and townhomes—and said the city must allow at least six. Staff described how counting rules work: ADUs already allowed on lots count toward unit totals, and proximity to transit affects the minimum and maximum unit counts required under the tiered statutory framework.

Under that framework, staff said Burien is a tier‑2 city: the minimum statutory requirement is to allow two units per lot, with greater density (up to four units) required within a quarter‑mile walk of a major transit stop, and further flexibility if units are deed‑restricted as affordable. Staff also recommended the commission consider how to distinguish R‑1, R‑2 and R‑3 areas through differences in height, setbacks, lot coverage, minimum lot sizes and parking standards.

Public comment included homeowner Mark Parker, who said he supports R‑2 zoning for portions of the neighborhood near Lake Burien School Park and urged staff to provide written materials. "My name is Mark Parker, and I'm a homeowner in the neighborhood near Lake Burien School Park," Parker said, noting the current RS‑12,000 minimums and that some nearby lots were previously split under county rules.

Commissioners asked staff several clarifying questions during the discussion. Staff confirmed the building code sets a 70‑square‑foot minimum for sleeping units (used in coliving definitions) and said coliving would be allowed only on lots that permit at least six multifamily units. Commissioners raised concerns about housing unit sizes and family suitability: one commissioner cited Seattle’s experience of many small units and urged the commission to consider incentives or minimums that encourage family‑sized units.

Staff said other regulatory tools under consideration include unit‑lot subdivisions and incentives (for example, additional units or height allowances) tied to larger unit sizes. Staff committed to return with a side‑by‑side map comparing the comp‑plan land‑use designations and the zoning‑map proposals, and a draft ordinance that fills in the city’s choices for R‑1, R‑2 and R‑3.

No formal action or vote was taken on the code amendments during the meeting; staff said the work is ongoing and that the commission will see a proposal at a future meeting.

Background details staff provided: the city currently uses several single‑family designations, including an RS‑12,000 lot standard and RS‑7,200; staff said at least one proposed new zone may have minimum lot sizes around 5,000 square feet or smaller. Staff also noted the statutory population threshold (75,000) used by the Office of Financial Management to classify cities into tier 1, 2 or 3 for certain requirements.

Staff said they will return with the proposed code language, maps comparing the comprehensive‑plan designations and the new zones, and more detail about how sleeping units, micro units and coliving would be defined and regulated in Burien.