Large lot cottages

Edit: At the June 10th meeting, the council voted that cottages should be up to 1500 sqft and can be no more than 24′ tall (see strike-through and replaced text below)

The limit on the number of cottages that are allowed to go on a large lot is based on the FAR, which for all parcels in Bellevue over 10,000 sqft will be a 0.9 multiplier.  If we do the math for the large lots, let’s see what can be produced: 

At 1750 sqft each, 22 three bedroom cottage homes per acre (this is the largest cottage you’re allowed to make)

At 1500 sqft each, 26 two/three bedroom cottage homes per acre (this is the largest cottage you’re allowed to make)

At 1400 sqft each, 28 two bedroom cottage homes. 

Each also gets 300 sqft of garage storage space, so that you have room for a car and some other garage storage. 

How tall will these be? They could be up to 4 stories 2.5 stories, since the height limit is 38′ 24′, but at three stories, you use 30% of the lot area, which is under the 45%* lot coverage limit for larger parcels in Bellevue’s proposal, and two stories is probably close to 45%. (You might need to use the 25% of lot coverage bonus for cottage porches to give plenty of room; that flexibility should ensure you can use the FAR provided.)

Impervious area will depend on how much driveway you need, but it shouldn’t be hard to meet since the draft code offers wide latitude to add driveway as needed by increasing the size of the porches, up to 25% of the area of the lot, and then putting more mass on the third or fourth story of each building. 

A 3/4 acre lot that was formerly R-1 is not large enough for lot splitting, so it would otherwise be able to have six Middle Housing units plus two AADUs. If I wanted to maximize its potential with cottages, I’d put eighteen 1633.5 sqft twenty 1470 sqft cottages on the parcel. 

Edit: I would also like to note that this is not in line with the intent mentioned by the state on page  43 of the Middle Housing Model Ordinances User Guide. 

*had a previous typo that said 40%, but cottages get an extra 5% of lot coverage, if you look at Note 9 under the table in the draft.