Edmonds planning staff introduces state-mandated co-living code changes; planning board split on scope

Staff from Edmonds Planning and Development gave a council introduction on Oct. 28 to changes the state now requires for "co-living" housing and presented a Planning Board recommendation and several local choices the city must make.

Planner Rose Haas told council the state enacted 2nd substitute House Bill 1998 (codified at RCW 36.70A.535) and that cities must allow co-living housing on any lot that allows at least six multifamily residential units. Under the statute staff summarized, local governments cannot impose more restrictive dimensional or unit-mix standards than other multifamily uses in the same zone. The state also sets a limit on parking requirements: outside of a half-mile from a major transit stop a city may not require more than 0.25 off-street parking spaces per sleeping unit; room-size minimums default to the International Building Code standard cited by staff (70 square feet for a sleeping unit under the IBC).

Haas described policy choices Edmonds can make: whether to keep the existing 1964 boarding-house definition in the code, whether to allow co-living only where the state's six-unit density threshold is met or across all multifamily zones, and whether to prohibit short-term rentals inside co-living housing. The Planning Board recommended replacing the old boarding-house definition with an updated co-living definition and recommended prohibiting short-term rentals in co-living units; it was split 50-50 on allowing co-living across all multifamily parcels versus limiting it to parcels that meet the six-unit threshold.

Council members asked questions about likely market interest, conversion of office buildings, possible senior and student demand, loading zones for move-ins, and whether co-living could become owner-occupied (cohousing-style) in the future. Staff cautioned that conversions and new construction must still meet building, fire and life-safety codes (IBCs and IPMC-related maintenance standards were cited), and that many existing multifamily lots are developed so conversions would often require full redevelopment.

What happened next: Council received the introduction and asked staff for follow-up information on parcel locations near Edmonds College, vacancy/market potential, and whether incentives or loading-zone standards would make projects more feasible. No final code changes were adopted Oct. 28; staff said a formal adoption schedule targets December.

Why it matters: The change implements state law that aims to expand smaller, shared living options (including workforce and near-AMI housing) and will affect zoning, density calculations and parking standards in Edmonds' multifamily and mixed-use zones. The council will need to decide whether to allow co-living on all multifamily parcels or only where the six-unit density threshold is already met.