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Woodinville staff present comprehensive-plan revisions, EMU rezoning options and middle-housing implementation
Summary
City planning staff outlined a draft comprehensive-plan update that incorporates state-required middle-housing provisions, new housing-capacity analyses by income bands, and a proposed East Rail Mixed-Use (EMU) zoning alternative to provide capacity for mid/low-rise multifamily housing; council debated including or excluding specific parcels from the EMU and asked staff for alternate maps and analyses.
City planning staff led a study-session presentation on Jan. 20 covering major revisions in the draft 2024 Comprehensive Plan, focusing on land use and housing.
Robert Grumbach reviewed the reorganized plan structure and highlighted several changes driven by state law: middle-housing requirements (the Growth Management Act change requiring at least two units per lot in many single-family areas), updated housing-element provisions by area median income (AMI) bands, and a new climate-resiliency chapter. He stressed that the new housing analysis is capacity-based: the state's Commerce Department guidance requires jurisdictions to enable housing types and capacity to meet assigned targets rather than guarantee that specific affordable units will be produced.
To meet capacity goals while preserving neighborhood character, staff proposed a new East Rail Mixed-Use (EMU) zoning designation focused on downtown and the Eastrail corridor. The EMU is intended to allow mid- and low-rise multifamily development and active ground-floor uses. Grumbach presented a parcel-level capacity analysis using assumptions such as a baseline of about 63 dwelling units per acre for redevelopment in redevelopable subareas, application of deductions for critical areas where applicable, and conservative redevelopability percentages in some sectors. Under the Planning Commission's preferred configuration, staff concluded the EMU could provide more than enough housing capacity to meet the city's assigned targets.
Councilmembers expressed two recurring concerns: the potential displacement or rent increases for existing small creative and commercial tenants (notably in Little Bear Creek Plaza and adjacent properties), and whether including specific areas (notably "Area B" and a purple overlay in Area C) is necessary for capacity or advisable given local commercial affordability objectives. Council requested alternate map options that would meet capacity under different parcel inclusions or exclusions and asked for further analysis of pipeline projects and how those are counted by regional agencies.
Staff also highlighted required 'adequate provisions' analyses (utilities, sewers, transportation) and said the Planning Commission recommended consideration of expanded inclusionary-zoning policies as a future development-regulation tool. Grumbach said staff will return with EMU map variants and additional detail in subsequent study sessions and that development regulations implementing comp-plan policies will follow after council direction.
