Amendment No. 8 proposes adding E-1 MUO, UR, UM, ULI zones to the new townhouse unit lot subdivisions code. There was no opposition from the public on first reading.

Positive changes to Snohomish County’s Lot Size Averaging (LSA) and Planned Residential Development (PRD) codes will be presented to the County Planning Commission Tuesday, April 23, with a public hearing scheduled for May 28.

Late in 2018, your association was advised that Seattle Public Utilities was preparing to mandate larger storage areas for garbage, compost, and recycling bins, from 2’x6’ to 3’x6’—a 50% bigger area. The increase in this storage area would have made many tightly-constrained lots infeasible.

In an effort to make Seattle carbon-neutral, Mayor Jenny Durkan is promoting the use of electric vehicles and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requirements.

To increase pedestrian accessibility for people of all ages and abilities, Seattle recently changed the land use code to require curb ramps when new sidewalks are required as part of development projects—including new home construction—on corner lots.

Your association submitted a comment letter this week, requesting changes that would support energy efficiency measures on the exterior of buildings and simplify how gross floor area is measured inside buildings.

On February 8, Snohomish County Planning and Development Services (PDS) implemented administrative procedures to accept opt-in requests for their revised grading regulations related to the two-foot rule.

On October 2, 2018, we took to social media to discuss the benefits of more flexible accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules and various cottage housing ordinances throughout our two-county region.

The 37.5-acre annexation proposes no major changes to the area's zoning. Because at least 60% of the area is contiguous to the city, the annexation can be done per interlocal agreement, subject to public hearing.

The fate of this year’s Action Plan for Housing is coming down to the wire. The next looming cutoff date is Wednesday, April 17, when all bills must pass out of the House and Senate to remain alive.

Recognizing Seattle and King County have an affordable housing crisis, this week your association submitted a letter supporting new affordable housing development at Fort Lawton, a former Army Reserve Center in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood.

With more than 220 in attendance, MBAKS Executive Director Kat Sims kicked off the 2018 Housing Solutions Breakfast by unveiling the association’s Action Plan for Housing. These and other ideas discussed at the breakfast are intended to increase housing supply and eliminate unnecessary and costly hurdles to new home construction, without compromising environmental or consumer protections.

At the request of your association, Public Health—Seattle & King County is now providing in-person technical customer services for your on-site sewage system permitting at the Local Services Permits office in Snoqualmie on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings from 7:30–11:30 a.m.

n August 9, the Washington State Supreme Court favorably ruled in the matter of Maytown Sand and Gravel v. Thurston County. An unfavorable ruling could have meant that a land use permit applicant would have to file a LUPA appeal on their own project as a prerequisite for a tort claim, even where the property owner was not adversely affected by the land use decision itself.

The city’s park impact fee ordinance was last updated in December 2017, just over a year ago. While the fee is fairly new, council has asked staff to review the formula and costs associated with projects and what is the fairest distribution of those costs.

The Puget Sound region is booming. Now more than ever, we need people to enter the skilled trades to build the housing, commercial space, infrastructure, and transportation projects necessary to accommodate our growing community.