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Kenmore updates housing strategy to align with new state laws, plans summer outreach
Summary
Kenmore is updating its 2017 housing strategy to implement 2024 comp-plan goals and comply with recent Washington state housing bills, with priorities to preserve existing affordable housing, loosen rules for small-scale housing (ADUs and middle housing), and deploy tools such as density bonuses and tax exemptions. Staff plan summer outreach and Planning Commission review.
Kenmore is revising its housing strategy plan to translate new policy goals into concrete actions, Todd Hall, the city’s principal planner in community development, said in a podcast interview. The update responds to a 2024 comprehensive-plan update, recent state housing laws and local demographic and affordability changes.
The 2017 plan set four main priorities: protect existing affordable housing (including measures for manufactured-home communities), reduce barriers to small-scale housing such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), unlock publicly owned or tax-exempt land for housing, and broaden incentives for larger multifamily projects through density bonuses and a multifamily tax-exemption program. "Protecting the affordable housing the city already has, removing barriers for small-scale housing, activating underused public land, and incentivizing affordability in larger projects" summarized Hall.
Hall sai…
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