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Lake Forest Park planning commission to focus housing work plan on removing barriers to middle housing
Summary
Commissioners agreed to narrow their housing work to a small set of measurable objectives and to invite developer input after members reported that recently adopted middle-housing code remains difficult to implement in practice.
The Lake Forest Park Planning Commission agreed on a narrower, action-oriented approach to its housing agenda, saying the near-term task is to identify and remove barriers that keep the city's newly adopted "middle housing" rules from resulting in built housing.
Vice Chair Janne Kaje said the commission's immediate goal should be practical: "Now, let's figure out what's in the way of making those things happen that we just put into code," he said, adding that developers and financiers should be invited to explain why proposals often do not "pencil out."
The exchange followed reports that developers and local practitioners remain uncertain about how the code applies to common questions such as allowable unit counts, impervious-surface limits and tree-retention rules. Commissioner Cherie Finazzo described the economics she'd seen in recent projects, saying that construction and other costs have driven smaller units into price ranges the commission would not call affordable: "Everything in Lake Forest Park is going for over a million dollars," she said, noting a recent 1,000-square-foot detached ADU cost roughly $450,000 to build.
Commissioners did not adopt new code tonight. Instead the body voted to ask a small team to produce two to three concise objective statements and simple criteria the commission can use to prioritize staff time and future amendments. Chair David Goldman and at least one other commissioner volunteered to bring that package to the next meeting for a vote.
The commission also discussed outreach options, including inviting developers or finance experts for a focused meeting and site tours, and whether to prepare pre-approved design templates to reduce permitting uncertainty. Commissioners who favored a careful, stepwise approach said any incentives should preserve the city's other values, notably tree canopy and neighborhood character.
Next steps: Commission members will review a staff-led primer on the Critical Areas Ordinance at the next meeting and will receive the objective statements and prioritization criteria proposed by David Goldman and collaborators. The commission set no firm timetable for specific code amendments.
