The city of Renton will be making changes to its ordinances to allow middle housing in more residential zones per state law.

City staff gave an overview of the legislative mandates for middle housing and Renton’s current code updates to reach compliance in a virtual open house on March 1. They also answered the public’s questions on the changes.

The Washington State Department of Commerce reported in a 2023 housing needs report that Washington will need more than one million additional housing units by 2044 in preparation for population growth. Renton will need to account for 17,000 new households. In April 2023, Washington State Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 1110 and HB 1337 to increase the state’s housing supply and diversify housing.

“These measures are intended to diversify housing supply by providing more opportunities for small-scale multifamily, as well as promote more ADU-friendly regulations,” Renton Associate Planner Angelea Weihs said. ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit, a self-contained residential unit located on the same lot as a primary single-family home.

Weihs said to comply with the new law, Renton must allow six out of the nine listed housing types on all lots predominately zoned for residential use, which will essentially allow multifamily housing in residential zones where it historically has not been allowed. The proposed types of middle housing by Renton are duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, stacked flats and courtyard apartments.

Renton Senior Planner Katie Buchl-Morales said HB 1110 defines middle housing as buildings that are compatible in scale, form and character with single-family houses and contain two or more attached, stacked or clustered homes.

“These typologies primarily were selected because we heard from the community that there is desire to retain the character for the built environment in their neighborhood and, of the housing typologies for middle housing, these are the ones we believe best align with that character and maintaining the character of a single-family development,” Buchl-Morales said.

Weihs said the development applicants will have the option to choose middle housing or traditional development. Current standards for residential zones, such as height, setback and design standards, will largely remain the same. She said the city staff proposes development standards for middle housing consistent with those required for single-family homes to achieve compatibility in scale, form and character in existing Renton neighborhoods.

“For example, if you have a single-family home with a maximum height of 24 feet, you can expect that middle housing will have that same height restriction in order for it to be indistinguishable in the neighborhood,” Weihs said. “That is the intent with our approach.”

Buchl-Morales said Renton is proposing up to four units per lot within applicable zones and up to six units per lot on all lots within one-fourth of a mile walking distance of a major transit stop.

Buchl-Morales said the exceptions for the bill’s middle housing include communities governed by existing homeowner associations that already ban multifamily development, lots in impaired or threatened watersheds, portions of lots designated with critical areas or their buffers, lots designated as “urban separators, and lots that do not have adequate water supply or available connections to serve an increased of units.

“Cities are not required to update capital facilities plan elements to accommodate increased housing until our next periodic comprehensive plan update, which is not until or after June 30, 2034,” Buchl-Morales said.

Parking

HB 1110 also established restrictions on the amount of parking a city can require and precludes cities from requiring off-street parking as a condition of approval when located within a half a mile walking distance from a major transit stop. Qualifying transit routes in Renton include King County RapidRide F line, future Sound Transit Stride and future King County RapidRide I line.

With the new House Bill, Renton can only require one off-street parking space per middle housing unit for lots of 6,000 square feet or less and two off-street parking spaces per unit for lots greater than 6,000 square feet. There will be no off-street parking required for lots located within a half mile walking distance of a major transit stop.

“This is deviation from our current residential parking standards which require two parking spaces for detached single-family units and for townhomes,” Weihs said. “However, one thing to keep in mind is that while the city can not include requirements to provide on-site parking spaces for middle housing within these areas, the city can include code incentives or perks that encourage developers to provide parking as an option.”

What’s next

The Renton Planning Commission will be having a briefing at their March 19 meeting and a public hearing tentatively scheduled for their April 2 meeting. The deliberations and recommendations will be made at the April 19 meeting. The Renton City Council will then review the recommendation and direct the staff to prepare an ordinance on the legislation for full council consideration and vote.

The new legislation needs to be approved before June 30 to be compliant with state law. If the city does not pass development regulations by then, state-approved model ordinances preempt the local development regulations until the city complies.

“There’s going to be so many opportunities for more affordable and diversified options so if you do not currently own a property, you’ll be able to, maybe, purchase something in a neighborhood,” Weihs said. “There is no guarantee that it will be cheaper than single family, but there will be more opportunities to find that cheaper, new housing development in that neighborhood you desire.”

A map of Renton shows the lots that are with a half mile and quarter mile of major transit stops. Map provided by the city of Renton