Liberty Lake planning commission advances state-mandated housing code changes for ADUs, duplexes and manufactured homes

Consultants for the City of Liberty Lake presented a redlined draft of development-code amendments to align the city with recent state housing statutes, focusing on accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes and manufactured homes.

The consultants said the changes are intended to meet state mandates while simplifying and consolidating scattered code language. “I’m going to be taking over as the project manager on this project,” Jen Dial said, introducing herself and describing the team’s approach to rewrite sections that are no longer compatible with current RCW provisions. Liam Taylor and Dial told commissioners the work primarily follows the state-required items in their review matrix and yields a single, simplified ADU section to replace multiple inconsistent provisions.

Why it matters: the updates will reshape where and how smaller housing types can be built in Liberty Lake. The consultants noted the revisions are mandatory to keep the city in compliance with state law and the city’s comprehensive-plan directions, and they said additional, optional policy changes would be considered separately.

Key details presented

- ADU maximum size and quantity: Consultants said the draft sets a 1,000-square-foot maximum for an ADU and allows up to two ADUs on a residential lot that meets minimum lot standards. “The accessory dwelling units are now regulated by a 1,000-square-foot maximum,” Liam Taylor told the commission.

- Setbacks, height and alleys: ADUs will follow existing accessory-structure height limits and may use a zero lot line along public alleys, per the proposed language.

- Owner-occupancy removed: The draft strikes owner-occupancy requirements that local code previously imposed, consistent with the state statute that limits local authority to require primary-unit owner occupancy.

- Parking and conversions: Consultants said parking nuances will be handled in the development-standards chapter; for example, lots under 6,000 square feet may require only one parking space. Conversions of existing accessory structures (for example, garages) are allowed regardless of previous setback conditions.

- Duplexes: Under the proposed alignment with state law, duplexes (two-unit middle housing) will be allowed in zones where single-family homes are allowed — specifically R1, R2 and R3 in the city’s code — and should not be subject to more restrictive rules than single-family dwellings.

- Manufactured homes: Consultants said manufactured homes must be permitted where single-family homes are allowed, with reasonable design standards remaining permissible (for example, requiring a permanent foundation rather than allowing wheeled units). Staff will return with draft replacement language for the manufactured-home section at a future meeting.

Matrix inconsistencies and cleanup: Staff flagged several inconsistencies between the zoning matrix and chapter text (for example, differing allowances for correctional facilities across zones). The consultants proposed circling back at a later meeting to resolve these non-housing cleanup items; they emphasized tonight’s focus on statute-driven housing changes.

Legal and procedural notes: Consultants referenced the RCW-based statutory changes that prompted many of the edits and noted an RCW exception that can apply where the city routinely plows snow (a practical constraint for certain ADU setbacks along alleys). The city also expects review comments from the Washington State Department of Commerce; staff said Commerce’s 60-day review runs to Aug. 14 and that preliminary feedback may arrive in late July or early August.

Next steps: Staff and consultants will draft final language for manufactured homes, refine parking and development standards, and return to the commission for additional review. Commissioners discussed keeping one meeting through the summer and resuming a two-meetings-per-month cadence in fall to meet the periodic-update schedule.

Provenance: Topic introduced at SEG 193; discussion of housing items runs through SEG 792. The ADU redline discussion is concentrated in SEG 445–551; ADU conversion, parking and owner-occupancy in SEG 552–616; HOAs and legal applicability in SEG 638–662; duplex and manufactured-home summaries in SEG 720–788.

Ending: The commission did not vote on code adoption tonight; staff will return with revised language and additional packets for subsequent hearings and recommendation to council.