Recent legislation (Council Bill 119544) made it easier for property owners to build accessory dwelling units (i.e., backyard cottages) to give more housing options for people living in Seattle. In our digital age, having more people living on one parcel will likely also mean increased internet usage – and an increased need for broadband capacity. A home may already have an internet service connection, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that connection can easily be extended or shared with a new residence on the parcel. Getting internet service for the new residence could require a new dedicated service connection, burying of conduit, and other internet connectivity considerations that should be explored early in your construction planning process. See Seattle Information Technology’s Tip 6000, Ensuring Broadband Service Access for Multiple-Dwelling-Unit (MDU) Development Projects, for information and contacts to help you kick-off the process. Other resources related to broadband planning are available at our B4B – Build for Broadband website.
