The panel of islanders working on issues related to land use, housing and community health for the developing Community Service Area Plan made only minor recommendations pertaining to accessory dwelling units and business zoning at a meeting last week.
The group had originally been scheduled to address more contentious issues related to affordable housing and zoning density, but the agenda changed prior to the meeting. King County’s Brad Clark, who is heading the process, said he made the change because needed materials to make decisions regarding those issues would not have been ready in time. Now, the panel is slated to discuss zoning and affordable housing at a meeting next month and will present its recommendations from last week and the upcoming meeting to the full Community Advisory Group at a meeting on Jan. 24.
Concerning commercial business, the subcommittee recommended including in the final plan a variety of business types that King County allows, but that were not included in the most recent Vashon Town Plan. These include artists’ studios, dog training facilities and retail nurseries — which already exist in Vashon’s area zoned for business. The intent of the change, Clark said, was to bolster the plan and make it more flexible and open.
Regarding accessory dwelling units (ADUs), the group chose to replace wording from the previous Town Plan, which indicated that such dwellings should be permitted in existing single family residential neighborhoods per King County code, but should not be allowed “as attached and/or detached accessory units in new small lot subdivisions or in clusters or commons configurations.”
The subcommittee opted for the following language instead:
“To help increase the island’s inventory of affordable housing, accessory units should continue to be permitted on single family residential lots per KCC 21A.08.030 and should be allowed as either attached or detached units whenever minimum setbacks, water and wastewater standards can be met. King County should consider new options to streamline and simplify the ADU permitting process.”
A portion of the conversation surrounding ADUs included concerns about the county’s requirements for ADUs, particularly that detached dwellings require a separate septic system. Those concerns were outside of the purview of the plan, Clark said, but will be forwarded to the head of King County’s environmental health services division, who attended the meeting briefly, and to the King County Council, as it considers affordable housing in the region.
The next subcommittee meeting is slated for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the Penny Farcy Building on Bank Road.
— Susan Riemer
