Planning commission advances SMC Title 21 cleanup; schedules Nov. 20 traffic workshop on town‑center plan

Sammamish Planning Commission members on Oct. 2 heard a staff presentation on a second, limited round of code cleanups to SMC Title 21 and were told a focused traffic presentation on the town‑center subarea plan is scheduled for the Nov. 20 meeting.

David Pyle, Sammamish Department of Community Development, told commissioners the Nov. 20 meeting "will be primarily dedicated to hearing from the city's traffic engineer, our traffic planners, our traffic consultants, and technical experts" to address public and commission questions that have arisen during the EIS and follow‑up comment period.

The code cleanup package presented by Avril Bedi, planning and permit center manager, includes a series of mostly procedural and clarification edits intended to improve usability and close unintended gaps in newly adopted rules. Key topics discussed by staff, commissioners and members of the public included: a proposed 1,500‑square‑foot cap for standard cottage housing units; formalizing that accessory dwelling units (ADUs) must have a separate external entrance; definitions and processes distinguishing quasi‑judicial rezonings from area‑wide rezonings; a proposed return of shoreline substantial‑development permits to a director (type 2) decision in ordinary cases; changes to comment periods and submittal timing; and possible limited relief for existing houses constrained by the city’s 3,000‑square‑foot footprint limit.

Why it matters: the changes are intended to fix drafting errors, remove references to repealed statutes and clarify processes for applicants and neighbors. Several items—most notably the cottage housing size limit and…