Executive/Council Action Form (ECAF)
ITEM TITLE:
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Ordinance 21-018, relating to Growth Management;?revising accessory apartment regulations; amending sections in chapters 30.22, 30.23, 30.24, 30.25, 30.26, 30.28, 30.31A, 30.35A, 30.41G, 30.66C and subtitle 30.9 of the Snohomish County Code
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DEPARTMENT: Planning and Development Services
ORIGINATOR: Mitchell Brouse, Senior Planner
EXECUTIVE RECOMMENDATION: Approve
PURPOSE: Transmit a proposed ordinance that amends Snohomish County Code Chapter 30.22, 30.23, 30.24, 30.25, 30.26, 30.28, 30.31A, 30.35A, 30.41G, 30.66C and subtitle 30.9 SCC to adopt updated regulations regarding the development of attached and detached accessory dwelling units (also referred to as accessory apartments).
BACKGROUND: Accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also referred to as accessory apartments, are separate complete dwelling units, located on the same lot as a single-family dwelling unit, and are secondary and incidental to the primary dwelling. They can be located in the same structure as a primary single-family dwelling (attached) or be located in a separate detached structure from the primary dwelling (detached). Snohomish County has allowed attached ADUs since 1992 and detached ADUs since 1994 as permitted uses, subject to specific development standards, in most districts that allow single-family dwellings. Both attached and detached ADUs were changed from a permitted use to an administrative conditional use (ACUP) in 2002. Finally, in 2012, development standards for substandard lots were adopted into Snohomish County Code, prohibiting the construction of ADUs on all substandard lots in unincorporated Snohomish County. The proposed ordinance would: shift attached and detached ADUs from an ACUP to a permitted use in all zoning districts that allow single-family dwellings; update development standards related to the construction of ADUs, including adding standards for ADUs in the rural areas that will protect rural ch...
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