We’ve extended the deadline to apply to be a Design Review Board member. It’s now December 31, 2019!
City Seeks Designs for Backyard Cottages to be Pre-Approved for Permits
To help more residents own and rent detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs), the City is seeking submissions from architects, designers, and builders for plans that will be pre-approved for construction permits.
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan directed City staff to select plans for pre-approval to make the process to design and permit DADUs — often called backyard cottages — faster, easier, cheaper, and more predictable. Homeowners choosing a pre-approved plan will pay reduced permit fees and get their permit faster — in 2-6 weeks rather than several months for sites that do not involve protected trees or environmentally critical areas.
Join Us at the Seattle Home Fairs
Once again, SDCI will be hosting our popular Seattle Home Fairs in January and February. These free events will be jam-packed with useful information about rental housing rules, our permitting and inspection process, emergency preparedness, and much more. We’ll have breakout sessions on landslide prevention, backyard cottages, and earthquake retrofits. With something for everyone, you won’t want to miss these events!
Don’t Miss the Seattle Home Fairs
The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections will be hosting our popular Seattle Home Fairs in early 2020. Jam-packed with useful information about your planned remodel, our permitting process, renting in Seattle, and so much more, this is an event not to be missed! Our North Seattle Home Fair will take place at the Meadowbrook […]
Townhouse Easement Clarification Draft Ordinance Available for Public Review
Draft legislation is available for review and comment until December 23, 2019. It would update width of access easements for townhouses to match the driveway width. This code amendment would apply to small-scale townhouse projects in Seattle and would help land be used efficiently for housing.
Feedback Wanted on Director’s Rules Addressing SEPA Thresholds
On November 25, we published a notice for a 30-day comment period for draft Director’s Rule 16-2019 in the Land Use Information Bulletin. This rule lists where higher SEPA “infill development” thresholds are now in effect, which includes most Urban Centers and Urban Villages. The Director’s Rule will be updated again in the future if other Urban Centers or Urban Villages add more new development and exceed their growth targets.
New Streamlined Water Service Application Process
The Street Use division of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) have made the water service application process easier!
Pre-approved Plans for Accessory Dwelling Units
As part of our comprehensive effort to enable more residents to own and rent accessory dwelling units (ADUs), Mayor Jenny Durkan has called for pre-approved plans for detached ADUs that offer homeowners a faster, easier, and more predictable design and permitting process. Our first step in this effort was a public survey about design principles we should consider when selecting plans for pre-approval. Between September 30 and October 21, we received almost 600 responses to the survey.
Director’s Rule 12-2019: Update of ECA Mapping for Known Landslide and Steep Slope Erosion Hazard Areas
On November 15, 2019, the City of Seattle adopted a new Known Landslide map and an updated map for steep slope erosion hazard areas. Known landslide areas and steep slope erosion hazard areas are Environmentally Critical Areas regulated by SMC 25.09.
Shoreline Master Program Vessel Definition Amendment
The Shoreline Master Program amendment regarding the definition of a vessel, Ordinance 125882, became effective on November 12 after final review and approval by the Department of Ecology on October 29. This amendment adds additional language to the definition of vessel to clarify that the intent of the term “designed for navigation” is to transport people or goods over water.
