Hello!
There were some surprises in the February/March meetings about Missing Middle Housing. Bellevue is planning to go above and beyond the requirements of HB 1110. In many places where HB 1110 requires that we allow 4 units, the planners are hoping to increase that to 6 middle housing units.
The state law allows us to count ADUs toward the 4 or 6 unit total, but Bellevue’s current proposal does *not* count them. That means a location “near” Major Transit (within a 1/2 mile radius) would be able to have 6 + 2 = 8 units. You should know that developers are writing in and making oral comments to the Planning Commission asking that the cap on ADU size be increased so that they each can have 3 bedrooms (over 1500 sq ft), and some commissioners seem amenable to that.
Anywhere that 6 units are allowed by right is a place where the developers will not be required to provide affordable housing in exchange for that density. It will also allow co-housing/boarding houses/SROs as large as the lot allows, in accordance with 2023’s HB 1998, which applies to all lots that are allowed to have 6+ units. With Bellevue’s proposed map, some of the parcels are 0.8-1.0 miles walking distance to the bus stop. An example of this co-housing in Seattle is The Karsti, which has 52 units on a 5,000 square foot lot (average unit size 216 square feet).
Olympia has a lot-splitting bill (HB 1096) under consideration that could double the density again. It has already received strong support in the House.
Bellevue is also proposing an unlimited number of cottages, if you stay within the cap of floor area based on a parcel size multiplier (FAR), and these could either be three stories with up to 1750 sqft interior space plus 250 sqft of garage, or a larger quantity of smaller ones that have a total internal space under the cap.
Other changes would also apply to the other suburban residential and large lot parcels in Bellevue; HB 1110 allows a sixplex on any Bellevue residential parcel if two of the units are affordable. Bellevue is proposing a fee-in-lieu payment system so you don’t have to build any affordable housing to get those two extra units, and of course, the ADUs are being allowed on top of that without any fee payment.
Although we were assured that any middle housing would still need to fit within the building envelope, they’re proposing a tiered approach to allowable floor area. Single family homes would no longer be allowed to be as large as they are now, but the new buildings could be twice as large as existing structures if several units are being built. Can you imagine a building that’s twice as big as the mega-mansions neighbors sometimes complain about?
There are also height increases and setback reductions that increase the building envelope size for middle housing. Detached ADUs could be merely 5’ from the rear property line. The planners also say they see the need for loosening up the tree code that was passed last year, and there will be “flexibilities” in regards to impervious surfaces and buildable area.
Some of the zones affected are shown here: the proposal includes areas 0.5 miles from Link and Rapid Ride and 0.25 miles from frequent bus routes, neighborhood centers, and regional centers. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/049bad6a7ba944ae9d5692ea7a3f3400 Additional areas in Bellevue will be affected by transit service changes in 2025 (East Link Connections) and 2028 (RapidRide K). The East Link Connections routes 220, 240, 245, 250, 270 and ST Express 550 will be providing frequent service according to the city’s definition.
The state laws (HB 1110, HB 1337, and HB 2321) don’t require us to offer any density increase for being near frequent transit or neighborhood and growth centers and only require us to allow 6 units by right within 1/4 mile *walking* distance of Major Transit. Using a longer distance, plus radius or as-the-crow-flies measurement, greatly expands the footprint of these policies.
Please come to any Planning Commission or City Council meeting to make yourself heard! There is always a time at the beginning for the public to speak, even if your issue is not on the agenda; signups start at noon on the day of each meeting. You can also email them:
council@bellevuewa.gov and PlanningCommission@bellevuewa.gov
I hope you will share this message with anyone you think might be able to help!
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