Matt’s session at Built Green 2019 will walk through the zoning regulations for “Residential Small Lot,” demonstrate its benefits, and provide examples of what can be built. Additionally, this session will address how Mandatory Housing Affordability applies to those zoning regulations and ultimately how our neighborhoods will evolve.
In Seattle thousands of residential lots are now ‘Residential Small Lot’ (RSL) as part of the MHA zoning reform. The rules covering RSL have been rewritten, bringing questions about how RSL will affect Seattle neighborhoods.
First, what is RSL and what kinds of new development are we likely to see?
Second, how does RSL address displacement, affordability, density or sustainability?
If you live in one of the affected urban villages or are interested in innovative infill housing RSVP below to join Matt Hutchins, AIA for monthly informational talks in a neighborhood near you. All engagements are from 5:00 - 6:30pm.
September 25, 2019 Columbia City Library
October 16, 2019 West Seattle Library
November 12, 2019 Douglass-Truth Library (Central District)
Download it here: New Housing Options in Residential Small Lot (RSL) zone.
Residential Small Lot will allow little stacked flats like this. How you use them is up to you!
If you are thinking about downsizing but don’t want to relocate to a new neighborhood, or to a tiny impersonal apartment in a big boxy building, there are very few choices out there.
Luckily, with Seattle’s Residential Small Lot Zoning (RSL), there are some fresh options. CAST architecture has been working with the land use code for about a year, and now that it is approved in many Seattle Urban Villages and Hubs like Crown Hill, West Seattle, Morgan Junction, and Roosevelt, we want to show off some of the possibilities to do density right!
We often lament that there are essentially very few single level living situations that aren’t little condos, and even fewer that have been built this century.
With this ‘Double Up’ Duplex, there are two primary residences, one at ground level, one up. Each primary residence can be configured with an Accessory Dwelling unit. At 2200 square feet per level Including the ADU), that could be a generous home with a built in rental stream. If someone wanted to develop the whole building, it would be perfectly legal to own the entire building, rent one level, and the ADU adjacent. Don’t want to be a landlord? It can be configured as a condo association.
Downsized, accessible, modern, super energy efficient living, with two revenue streams, not to mention a great front porch and big backyard!
On any RSL lot, we can design a two unit flat with accessory dwellings units.
Here is a second story plan, with a primary and accessory unit. could easily be a 3br and studio apartment
We’re excited about what is possible under Residential Small Lot and hope that the best solutions get adopted far and wide!
Residential Small Lot zoning will create new housing options in established urban village neighborhoods
Mandatory Housing Affordability passed City Council yesterday, and as part of that, about 7000 urban Single Family lots will now be able to have two or three primary residences (plus ADUs) on site. I’m pleased that we were able to suggest some amendments that will make the zone more workable, improve flexibility for sites where people would like to preserve the original house.
What is RSL?
In a nutshell:
1 primary residence per 2000 sq ft of lot (one ADU per primary residence allowed)
if your lot is smaller than 4000 sq ft, you could still do two residences.
Floor Area Ratio : .75
Lot coverage: 50%
Maximum size of any single primary residence: 2200sq ft.
Residential Small Lot Streetscape
While conceived as a kind of new ‘cottage’ zoning, it is better suited to compact 2 1/2 story urban houses.
We’ve come up with a prototypical design which maxes out all the limits, and it still feels pretty good within the existing streetscape. It is a 1500 sq ft upper unit, with main level suite, and open living/dining/kitchen (w/ twelve foot ceilings), two typical bedrooms and a second master on level two, with a patio/kitchen garden on the roof. In the basement (half below grade to avoid being counted toward F.A.R.) we’ve designed a 1 bedroom/1 bath Accessory Dwelling Unit, which could easily be integrated into the primary house, set up to generate revenue to help with the mortgage, or be co-owned like a two party condo association.
Because it is a relatively compact volume, with flexibility about solar orientation for a range of urban sites, hopefully we’ll get some owners interested in pursuing Passive House green building standards!
Residential Small Lot zoning: Courtyard bungalows
There is a real opportunity, once you start combining lots, to also aggregate the open space, and get back to that Courtyard Bungalow type that we used to build before zoning made them by and large illegal. Since parking isn’t going to be required for most, the market is going to dictate, but hopefully we’ll be spared a lot of impervious area creating more run off issues.
What is the RSL market and will any of it be affordable?
While I’m pretty excited about the eventual potential of this zone, there are very few neighborhoods where this is going to pencil (i.e. high priced, high demand markets).
1) it is happening where land values are going to be the highest (urban villages), but with the low density limits, land costs cannot be spread across more than 2 or 3 units for the most part—at minimum $300K of any newly developed unit is going to be for land value.
2) With low densities, it will be nearly impossible to provide new rent restricted housing on site. Nearly all development will pay the MHA fee (up to $45,650 per unit). With the ‘downzones’ to RSL that Council enacted with the late amendments taking many Lowrise areas a step back, it ensures than most of those areas will never see rent-restricted housing.
3) Similar to Vancouver’s market where the high cost of detached housing is tempered by ‘mortgage helpers’ like Laneway houses, ADUs are really the only new less expensive option, and that is purely because of the size of those units.
Seattle is going to change thousands of residential lots from ‘Single Family’ to ‘Residential Small Lot’ (RSL) as part of the MHA zoning reform. The rules covering RSL have been totally rewritten and there are many questions about how it will affect our neighborhoods such as Crown Hill, West Seattle, and South Park
First, what is RSL and what kinds of new development are we likely to see?
Second, how does RSL address displacement, affordability, density or sustainability?
If you live in one of the affected urban village or are interested in innovative infill housing, join Matt Hutchins, AIA for this informational talk.
RSVP here:
6 Courtyard townhouses on a 12,000 sf ft lot
Seattle is going to change thousands of residential lots from ‘Single Family’ to ‘Residential Small Lot’ (RSL) as part of the MHA zoning reform. The rules covering RSL have been totally rewritten and there are many questions about how it will affect our neighborhoods such as Crown Hill, West Seattle, and South Park
What is RSL?
Where is RSL?
What are the rules governing the density, size, etc?
How is MHA going to factor into development?
What is the difference between a backyard cottage and a second house?
What are some of the prototypical developments that are possible under the new code?
If you live in one of the affected urban village or are interested in innovative infill housing, join Matt Hutchins, AIA for this informational talk.
RSVP here:
RSLZ will allow courtyard walk-ups!
Seattle is going to change thousands of residential lots from ‘Single Family’ to ‘Residential Small Lot’ (RSL) as part of the MHA zoning reform. The rules covering RSL have been totally rewritten and there are many questions about how it will affect our neighborhoods such as Columbia City and Rainier Beach.
First, what is RSL and what kinds of new development are we likely to see?
Second, how does RSL address displacement, affordability, density or sustainability?
Finally, how can we improve RSL so that it can be the most effective before the ordinance comes before Council?
If you live in an urban village or are interested in innovative infill housing, join Matt Hutchins, AIA for this informational talk.
RSVP here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/envisioning-seattles-small-lot-zoning-future-tickets-52921269943
Seattle is going to change thousands of residential lots from ‘Single Family’ to ‘Residential Small Lot’ (RSL) as part of the MHA zoning reform. The rules covering RSL have been totally rewritten and there are many questions about how it will affect our neighborhoods such as Columbia City and Rainier Beach.
First, what is RSL and what kinds of new development are we likely to see?
Second, how does RSL address displacement, affordability, density or sustainability?
Finally, how can we improve RSL so that it can be the most effective before the ordinance comes before Council?
If you live in an urban village or are interested in innovative infill housing, join Matt Hutchins, AIA for this informational talk.
RSVP here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/envisioning-seattles-residential-small-lot-future-tickets-52921293012
Seattle is going to change thousands of residential lots from ‘Single Family’ to ‘Residential Small Lot’ (RSL) as part of the MHA zoning reform. The rules covering RSL have been totally rewritten and there are many questions about how it will affect our neighborhoods, including most of South Park.
First, what is RSL and what kinds of new development are we likely to see?
Second, how does RSL address displacement, affordability, density or sustainability?
Finally, how can we improve RSL so that it can be the most effective before the ordinance comes before Council?
If you live in an urban village or are interested in innovative infill housing, join Matt Hutchins, AIA for this informational talk: Follow the link below to RSVP. Thanks!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/envisioning-seattles-residential-small-lot-future-tickets-51155568683