Seattle City Council unanimously approves new rules for controversial micro-housing
Oct 6, 2014, 6:50 PM | Updated: 7:01 pm
The Seattle City Council has approved new rules governing controversial micro-housing units as the city tries to manage rampant growth.
The tiny units have been a flashpoint as neighbors and developers argue over how small is too small.
A number of buildings have sprung up around the city with units as small as 120 feet. While all have their own sink, microwave and bathroom, they share a kitchen and living space much like a dormitory.
Developers and housing advocates praise the developments, saying they keep housing affordable.
But some critics call them glorified tenements, while some neighbors complain developers sidestepped standard permitting and created far more congestion and parking headaches than should be allowed.
Under the bill approved unanimously by the Council Monday, the micro-housing units will now be called “small efficiency dwelling units,” or SEDU’s.
They’ll have to have a minimum 150-square foot sleeping room area, a food preparation area with a sink, refrigerator, countertop and cooking appliance, and a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower or bathtub.
From now on, the units will be required to have a minimum 220-square foot total floor area.
Supporters of micro-housing argue the new requirements will stifle their development and continue to drive rents out of reach of many moving to the city.
“The people that lose in that are people with less money,” said Roger Valdez, Director of Smart Growth Seattle in an interview with KIRO Radio. “This really hurts poor people and people that are struggling to get ahead when you have the City Council imposing a bunch of rules that make housing more costly.”
The new regulations will also close the loopholes that allowed developers to side-step design review, subjecting them to far greater scrutiny.
The measure aims to address neighbors concerns by requiring increased parking for developments in some areas. No minimum parking requirements will apply in denser urban areas like Capitol Hill where frequent transit service is available.
More than 4,000 micro-apartment units are currently being developed in the city, but the city can’t do anything about them because the legislation approved Monday only applies to new permits, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports.
