City planning staff presented proposed 2025 miscellaneous code updates to Title 8 at the Oct. 27 Lynnwood City Council meeting, describing changes to driveway length standards, bicycle‑parking requirements, vehicle‑parking tables, and several definition clarifications.

Planner Carl Almgren explained the proposal to allow developers to use conditions, covenants and restrictions (CC&Rs) to require on‑lot garage parking as a supplement to the driveway length standard; staff said this flexibility could enable certain detached single‑family layouts and allow more units to be built where the garage footprint is constrained. Planner Zach Spencer summarized changes that move bicycle parking capacity requirements into a single code section, allow deviations where a developer demonstrates a lack of need, and reduce over‑parking for school, community facility and warehouse uses. Staff also proposed clarifying stall measurement tables and minor definition updates to align with state definitions for manufactured and modular homes.

Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about enforcement and neighbor policing for CC&Rs, the city’s role in enforcing private CC&Rs, and how changes apply to senior and affordable housing. Staff replied that CC&Rs are typically privately enforced but that some notice and land‑use mechanisms can be used to inform future owners; the bicycle‑parking waivers largely apply to income‑restricted and senior housing as described in the unified code.

The council closed the legislative public hearing after staff presentation and council Q&A; staff said the ordinance would return for council action in two weeks, with additional trailing updates planned in 2026.

Why it matters: The updates are a first set of "trailing" corrections to the June Unified Development Code rewrite and aim to remove technical barriers that staff and developers say have kept certain housing configurations off the market.

What happens next: Staff to return in two weeks with ordinance language for council action; additional code updates expected in 2026.